Searching for Serenity
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: How does it feel to wake up after a strange dream, just to realize you've somehow made it to Hollow Bastion? What happens when someone discovers the horrible lies about her past and a new race against the clock begins? And what does Organization XIII have to do with all this? Story development and BBS spoilers after chapter 10. -DISCONTINUED!
1. More sorrow

**A/N: This an angstier story than 'No more sorrow?' I rewrote the whole story, again, because Lina was such a Mary Sue that it scared me at one point. But then again, didn't we all write such stories once? When I wrote this I didn't even know what a Mary Sue was. I hope you like this new version. Reviews are more than welcome. :)**

* * *

It was autumn. All the leaves had turned into beautiful colors: yellow, orange, brown or red. With some help of the whispering wind they fell very slowly, like feathers, on the ground. Only this was a far more beautiful sight, compared to falling feathers.

I've always liked the red ones. Well, that was before everything had changed in my life. Now, I hated the color. Red, the color of...love, I couldn't even think about that word without wanting to rip those bloody leaves apart, one by one. Now, I preferred the brown ones over the red leaves. After all, brown was the color of death and sorrow.

Sometimes the leaves swished when I walked on them. I'm pretty sure that any other person would have enjoyed this sight, but not me. All I could think of was the pain and sorrow I have had for the past weeks. What had I done wrong to deserve this? I have no idea.

I wish I had someone I could trust. Someone who would always be there for me, no matter what. Someone like a father, or an older brother. Okay, scratch that last thought. Honestly, another Rick wasn't something I was waiting for.

I was glad I knew Kingdom Hearts, because that was the only way I could forget this miserable life for an hour or so. How many times had I hoped for a miracle so far? Still nothing had happened. Maybe nothing _would_ happen. I probably had to stay like this for the rest of my life. I was wondering how many persons I would meet today that would disappoint me now or in the future.

I wish I could live in a world in Kingdom Hearts. Destiny Islands would be the perfect place, or something like that. Sun, sea and the beach. Life would be a paradise, a Utopia. Not that that was going to happen, though. Like I was that lucky. It was more likely that I would turn into a chicken right now. Besides, Destiny Islands didn't exist, so the chance to see such a place was nihil, anyway.

As of lately, I was more worried about the strange dreams I had had for the last months. Every night I dreamed the very same. I was running away from something, or someone, but I was far too slow. I did not dare to turn around and see who – or what. It was more like a 'what' in this case – was chasing me. All I could see was its shadow. Someone was calling my name somewhere in the background. It sounded like a scared little boy. Just when that someone grabbed me from behind, I would wake up, sweating and as scared as I was in my dream.

"Joohoo! Hellooo? Is there anyone? Lina, I'm talking to you! Do you even have the slightest clue what I'm talking about?" Rebecca, my best friend, practially yelled in my ear.

I slowly returned to reality. I hadn't noticed that she was walking next to me, let alone talking to me. I tried to remember anything she had said and sighed. Unfortunately, my brains always let me down on moments like this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bec. Could you repeat it, please? Eh… I heard something about...a disco?" I asked.

Now it was Rebecca's turn to sigh wearily.

"Yeah. Thanks for listening to me, Lin. I _really_ appreciate that. Well, at least you've heard the last thing I said, even if it was minutes ago I said that. For the rest, though…"

Rebecca had everything a girl wanted to die for: rich parents, good notes, she was attractive, cheerleader captain, popular, etcetera. Her life was like a picture perfect book. So everyone wanted to be friends with her.

I've always wondered what she saw in me. Why did she want to be friend with someone like me? I was not popular or rich, nor a cheerleader. Hah, the thought only made me shrimp. I only was slightly smarter than she was, which also was a small wonder. She had said that it was my cheerful mood that always attracted her so much. Well, one wouldn't say that if they saw me now…

"Sorry," I said, once again.

I didn't know what else to say. I waited for her to get more furious, something that always happened when she thought that nobody was listening to her. When nothing happened, I was even more surprised.

"I said I'm going to the disco tonight. Lauren came up with it."

Lauren was another cheerleader thus a very popular girl. I didn't really like her.

"The disco? But...what are you going to do there?" I asked, completely surprised.

The only thing that Rebecca did, was shopping. She had never mentioned something about going to a disco.

"Oh, nothing special. I'm going to do my homework for maths, that's all."

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Duh, what do people usually do when they go to a disco? So...do you want to go with us?"

"No."

Going to the disco was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I realized that I sounded ruder than I had actually meant. Rebecca stopped walking and looked at me, surprised.

"Huh? What? Why not?" she asked.

What else did she expect after what had happened a week ago?

I shrugged.

"Not in the mood," was all I wanted to say about it, hoping that she would catch the hint and drop the subject.

Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect.

"Aw, come on, it'll be fun! Or is it because of Tony?" she looked at me, curiously.

I caught my breath in a half-gasp. His name made me shrink from the pain. I said nothing. I didn't want to talk about him. Not now. Not ever again. Not after what he did to me. I had trusted him. He had cheated on me. Wasn't I good enough for him? What did that other girl have that I didn't? Blond hair?

It was so unfair. I thought that he loved me. I didn't want to see his face anymore. I didn't get it why nobody knew what had really happened, that night when I found him kissing another girl. Of course, everyone at school knew we broke up, but they didn't know why. I guess he was hiding it, for some reason. Maybe he was ashamed of what he had done. That served him right, the bastard.

"So yes, it's because of him," Rebecca said, when I still remained silent.

I sighed once again. Why couldn't she just shut up and mind her own business, before I really got mad?

"Lin, sometimes I really don't get you. You've got to forget him. Life goes on, you know? There are boys enough here, so if you don't like him, then just choose another one, like I do..."

I was disgusted by this statement. She really didn't understand all this, did she? Did she even understand what real love meant?

"Anyway, guess what?"

I looked at her and we continued walking. It was getting pretty cold. Our faces were red, thanks to the biting wind.

"What?" I asked, glad that she changed the subject that quickly.

This was one of the moments she tried to cheer me up again. Sometimes I really was glad I knew her. Her attempts did never work, though.

I realized that I still had a disgusted look on my face, so I tried to look as neutral as I could.

"My brother's coming home this weekend. Oh, he's so unbelievably stupid. Now I have to listen to his boring stories about university and other uninteresting stuff, bleh! He's such a...jerk. A spoiled brat, I really hate him!"

Was she being serious? Milan, Becca's brother, was the only one who was always happy to see me. I had had a crush on him, a long time ago. There were times I thought he felt the same for me.

"Well, at least _you_ have an older brother. Wish I had one. Do you even realize how lucky you are with such a fantastic brother? Why are you talking like that about him? He's always so nice and trustful and funny and-"

"_What?_ I simply can't believe what I'm hearing now. Whose side are you on?" she yelled.

As if it wasn't obvious enough yet. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Someone was being a drama queen again.

Apparently, she could read the answer in my eyes, because the next thing she did, was say, "You'd better watch out with what you say to me, or else-"

"Or else what?" I said sharply, challenging her.

I didn't like the way she talked to me.

"Don't talk to me like that! I've got masses of friends. I don't need you!" Rebecca cried.

"So what are you still doing here? Why don't you go to your disgusting friends and leave me alone? I think that's the best for both of us!"

It had slipped out my mouth before I had been able to stop it. Rebecca's brown-colored eyes widened slightly. She kept looking at me like I had just hit her in the face. I suddenly wished I had done that.

Then she said coldly, "Oh, don't worry, I will, if that's really what you want. But first..."

She smirked. I wondered why. It looked almost scary.

"Have you seen the girl was that Tony kissed?" she asked me.

"Eh... no. I was too shocked. I haven't seen her face...why?"

I narrowed my eyes, wondering what she was up to. It had to be something bad, otherwise she wouldn't have smirked like this.

"Hehe, now I'll teach you the meaning of being chocked."

"Which means..."

Why didn't she just tell me what she was up to?

"Here it comes: that girl...that was me," she whispered softly, but I heard it loud and clearly.

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes. The world slowed down, while my heart began to beat faster and faster. It beat that fast that it hurt, like it wanted to escape from my body.

"W-what?"

No, that was impossible. It just couldn't be like that. This was all a lie. She was just teasing me because she was very mad. I was dreaming. I was having a nightmare and I would wake up very soon in my own bed and in my own bedroom.

"Surprised? Well, that's what you get if you mess with me. I told you to steal that tank top for me, but you didn't listen to me. But I have to admit, he's a great kisser. I totally forgot where I was, when his lips touched mine. Such a pity you don't want him anymore," she grinned.

I felt how I began to shake. I felt so unbelievably cold. I started to run away. I kept running and running, without looking where I was going. The tears started to run down on my face. I couldn't stop them anymore. My legs brought me somewhere, I didn't have to think where to go. I kept running, even when I couldn't feel my legs anymore. The wind slashed in my face, like the wind was crossed with me too, but I ignored it and kept running.

I ended up in my own bedroom, where I lay on my bed and started to cry again. There was nobody to comfort me, simply because I had nobody to comfort me. The whole world seemed to have become my enemy. Why was it always me? I couldn't take this any longer. If there wouldn't happen a miracle soon...

I lay on my bed for a while, staring at the white ceiling. Well, I couldn't say it was white. Not anymore. The white paint was getting dirty yellow.

Then I stood up – my head hurt like hell. It always did after crying. I remember a time where I cried to feel better and it had worked – and started to search for my favorite game. I really needed it to take my mind off it, like some people needed cigarettes or drugs. Kingdom Hearts was my drug. Now where was it? I was sure I put it in my PS2 yesterday. I searched everywhere, but I still hadn't found it.

"Where could it be?"

"Are you looking for this?" a voice asked.

I turned around, already recognizing his voice. Who else could it be? What did he want now? It was Rick, my pathetic little brother of twelve years. Oh, I really hated him with a passion. He was always annoying and mean to me, for no reason. He was such a spoiled brat, too.

I tried to stay calm and nice though, because I knew what would happen else. He would get really mean. And mom would choose his side, of course, like she always did.

He had something in his hands; my game. Now that was just great.

"Um, yes, I was. So eh...can I have it back, please?"

I tried to take it back, but he quickly stepped away. A smirk appeared on his face, when he realized that he had found a new way to piss me off today.

"I heard you crying. Why did you cry your brains out now? Is it because of Tony again? Oh please, get over him, already," he started to pester me.

I felt how red my face became. Suddenly it was very warm and fuggy in the room. How funny was that, a few minutes ago I had felt so cold that I had lost the feeling in my arms and legs. Now, it was vise versa.

"Shut up," I whispered, trying to control my anger.

I didn't look at him.

"Oh, are we pissed already? Oh boohoo, poor you. Little Lina is a little baby. Now she wants to work off her emotions by beating Heartless and Nobodies, hahaha!"

"Just give it back to me and get the _hell_ out of here!" I screamed.

"Or else?"

I couldn't control myself anymore and got a red haze before my eyes.

"That's enough already!"

I jumped and grabbed the game he was holding. Then we started fighting. Well, he was actually the one who started. All I wanted to do was to get that game. Maybe he thought I was attacking him. He never trusted me.

He wanted to slap me in my face. But I had expected that - I know, where's the trust? - and pushed him away with all my strength.

He fell backwards and his head bumped against the heating system. He didn't get up. His eyes were closed and he slowly turned pale…or was that due to the light in my room? Something was terribly wrong with him. Then I saw the color red, dripping on the heating system. Red, the color of blood. His blood…

"Rick?"

He didn't open his eyes.

"Rick? Please get up. Open your eyes and say something to me. This isn't funny anymore!"

Still no response. Then maybe he wasn't joking at all...

"Please, Rick... Rick?"

Oh no. He was dead. Oh my god! I just killed my little brother! I killed him because of a game!

I started to shake, violently. I started screaming from horror and I felt tears coming down on my face. My mother opened the door and walked into my room. I always hated it when she did that, but now, for the very first time in my life, I really was glad to see her.

"Lina, stop that! Why are you acting like an idiot? You're screaming the whole town together. What-"

Then she noticed Rick lying on the floor. Her eyes widened, instantly.

"OH MY GOD, RICK! SOMEONE CALL A DOCTOR!"

What did she just say about screaming the whole town together? I guess it was a family thing. She quickly left my room and ran to the telephone. I still couldn't move. The only thing I could do was just stand there and looking at my brother with widened eyes. Maybe it would have been easier for me to have a sister...

* * *

**A/N: So, the first chapter is done, at last. And yes, I know it's a bit too much angsty and such, but don't worry, that will change. Oh, and this story is not a biography or something. People I know kept asking me about it. :P I have a younger sister, and thank heavens she's the sweetest person I know. ****Let me know what you think of it. Reviews are welcome.**


	2. The stranger

**A/N: Thanks: Lexcia, WolfAngelsMoon, my friend, Yunagirlamy, gaara987, xXxspiralookamixXx, AitheHeartlessGirl, cocoasit4, SanitarySams black lava and xShikiMewx. ****Really. Thanks for the many reviews, favorites and alerts so far!**

* * *

I held my head into my hands, not being able to stop my tears. This was the third time today that I cried. I hadn't cried for at least two years. I couldn't even remember the last time it had happened. I wasn't really the type to show all my feelings in front of people. I had decided not to show my feelings anymore a long time ago. In that way, nobody would ever know how I felt and nobody could pester me anymore, like they used to do once.

I sighed. One thing was very obvious: life wasn't fair. Especially _my_ life.

Rick was at the hospital. Mum was mad at me again. I couldn't fall asleep, because too many things had happened today. I wasn't allowed to leave my room, for the rest of the time I was staying in this house. So probably forever.

"And no excuses," mum had said.

Fine. I didn't care. Rebecca had stolen my boyfriend away from me. I knew she was telling everyone about what happened today. How great.

Then, another thought popped into my head. Why would I waste my entire life here? I could leave this place. I hadn't any friends left anymore, so nobody would even miss me. I also hadn't any other family, so nobody would even notice my absence, since I had become the quiet type. I had nobody who cared about me, so if I was dead, nobody would care. Wow, that was a sad and dramatic thought…

So I got up, grabbed my suitcase and started packing. Clothes, passport, my ipod, a photo of my dad, hairbrush, toothbrush…

I ran to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, I yelped. I almost scared myself. Whoa, my life had become like a movie today. Drama, Suspense and horror, when I looked into the mirror. I smiled at that thought. I realized I looked like a zombie, who got out of a horror movie. Now that's a way to scare people away.

I grinned. No wonder nobody wanted to hang out with me lately. I would worry about that later, though. Anyway…okay, shampoo, bath towel…anything else? Hmm...

When I finished packing, I wrote a letter to mum and Rick.

_Mum and Rick,_

_You have never seen me as your family. I don't care anymore, though. I'm leaving. Don't look for me; I don't want to have any contact with you. Not that you can find me. I won't come back, so don't worry. Farewell._

_Oh, and Rick: I'm sorry for your head. __It was your own fault, though. Have you learned your lesson?_

_~Lina_

The letter was short and cold, exactly the way I wanted it to be. I hesitated a bit, because it kind of was harsh, too. Why would I care? It wasn't like they had ever been nice to me. Not since my dad had died.

Man, I was exhausted. Tomorrow, with the sunrise, I would leave this town for ever. Finally, I fell asleep, knowing that I would have nightmares for the rest of the night. Not that I could do anything about those frightening nightmare's, though. I was glad that Rick still lived, because if he didn't, my nightmares would have been much worse.

* * *

I had a very strange dream, but I couldn't call it a nightmare. At least, not yet. I was surrounded by darkness. It didn't matter at all whether I closed or opened my eyes; it both was and felt completely the same for me.

I also heard voices of people. They sounded distant, so they were probably far away. They whispered like the wind. It sounded scary, dark and mysterious, all at the same time. I couldn't hear what they said, though.

Sometimes I could hear a group of words like: "...Radiant..."

I was wondering what all this meant.

Radiant... Radiant Garden? It wasn't the first time that I dreamt of Kingdom Hearts. I guess that was what happened to people who were addicted to the game. After all, it had a great storyline and such.

"...Lost princess of..."

Of what?

"...Garden..."

Okay, maybe that was definitely Radiant Garden.

Sometimes, the whispering voices were soft. Other times I could almost hear the difference between those voices. But it was never that obvious to recognise the ones who said all this random stuff. I could only hear that the ones who whispered all this, were all men. I didn't know with how many they were.

"...Finally back to her hometown..."

What were they talking about? Was it about me? But I'm not going back to my hometown, I'm leaving it, I thought clueless.

"...Finally mature..."

…The hell? Maybe it sounded strange, but suddenly I had the feeling I was...flying. There wasn't another word to describe it. It felt exciting and strange. I liked it, although I started to feel a little bit dizzy.

"...We've finally found her..."

I was too afraid of what I would see if I opened my eyes. (What if I really was flying? And what if this wasn't a dream? It sounded too absurd to believe, but still…) So I let my eyes closed. I could feel the wind moving around my body and my hair. The wind was warm and...nice, in some sort of strange way.

"...Finally strong enough for the truth..."

The truth? What truth? What the hell were they talking about? The voices started to irritate me. Why didn't they shut up? Why didn't those men show themselves, like a real man would do?

The strange flying feeling stopped as suddenly as it began. I felt that I stood on my own feet, so I opened my eyes finally.

Huh? What was this? This didn't look at my bedroom at all...where was I? What had happened?

I looked around me. I was outside, on a deserted street. I saw lights burning inside of the houses. I had never been here before. Still, it looked so familiar. Yes, I was sure I knew this place...but how?

I almost sounded like Sora here. Was this Twilight Town?

I had not too much time to think about it, though, because suddenly I saw shadows moving everywhere, like they were alive; on the floor, on the walls of the houses, everywhere I looked.

In the light of a street lamp, I recognised the shadows. They were all black and they had scary, yellow eyes. They had two antennae on their heads. Heartless! What the-how was this even possible? Where was the famous key blade master when you needed him?

I started to run away from those little creatures. I almost fell over an invisible object, probably my own feet, since I used to be that clumsy in such situations.

If I didn't know they are after my heart, I probably would've thought they were cute little cuddly toys and I would've hugged them. That would be so me. I had never thought that a game could save my life.

But what were nobodies doing here? Did this mean what I think that it means? Was I in a Kingdom Hearts world, or was I still dreaming?

"AAUW!"

I scolded. Suddenly I felt a sickening pain on my side. It took my breath away. Well, the pain felt very real, even for a dream.

I looked and touched that place. When I looked at my hand, I saw there was all blood on it, which made me groan. That was just great! Even the smell of blood smelled real, but wasn't that always the case in dreams? Okay, this was confusing.

I was so busy with the pain in my side and running for my life and thinking random thoughts (as always), that I ended up in a blind alley.

Oh, why did this always happen to me? Not that I met nobodies every day. Actually, this was the first and probably the last time. How great was that? Now what to do? I couldn't fight them without a Keyblade.

I couldn't stand on my own feet anymore and fell on my knees, gasping for breath. Now I really started to feel sick, probably because of the lack of blood and all that running. Oh, great. And now I was dying here all alone, without being noticed at all.

"HEEEELP! HELP ME! PLEASE, SOMEONE! IS THERE ANYONE?"

No, of course not, you stupid idiot. Everyone was too busy watching their favorite TV-shows and playing computer games. I was astonished that I still had the energy to yell like that. It wasn't normal. But then again, what part of this _was_ normal?

Well, at least I wouldn't see Tony or Rebecca anymore. Or Milan...thinking of them hurt even more.

The heartless were at a very close range now. One of them jumped up to me. I hid my head protectively in my arms and waited one timeless second for the attack.

Why did it take the heartless so long? Honestly, how hard was it to kill a person?

Then – thank heavens! - I heard another sound instead of the clashing of claws in my own flesh, tearing it apart. It sounded like the slashing of a huge sword. What was that?

I looked up, being utterly surprised, and saw a young man standing in front of me. His back was turned to me. He had dark brown hair till his shoulders and had a strange looking sword in his hands. It also looked like a gun.

He wore a black jacket and black jeans with lots of belts. The template of two red wings was on the back of his jacket. I recognised him immediately, even before I could see his face. Of course! Who else could it be?

"Are you okay?" he asked me with his deep voice.

I was bleeding to death, right here in front of him. What did _he_ think?

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, dryly. "I just need a...short break. I can't fight, because I don't have any weapons."

Not that I could fight at all in this condition.

"Okay, I'll cover you then," was all he said.

"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome."

I watched him as he defeated all the heartless on his own, without being hurt at all. His fighting skills and his speed impressed me, a lot. I knew of course that he was a great fighter for I was a diehard Kingdom hearts fan, but seeing this LIVE was even more impressive than it looked in the game. It was very epic and I wished I could do that too. Maybe he wanted to teach me?

He turned and looked at me when all the heartless were defeated.

"Hmm, that doesn't look good. Let me help you. Come with me, so I can take care of your wound," he said, while he frowned.

I guess I had no choice, since I felt like my body could fall apart every moment. Not literally, of course.

"You don't have to be scared. I won't hurt you. I promise. I'm Head of the town's Restoration Committee and our headquarters is not that far from here."

Of course he wouldn't hurt me. I knew he wasn't the bad guy, but maybe he thought that the scar that run down on his face had scared me a little. In fact, the scar was what made him look even more...mysterious.

"Ehm..."

He was looking at me, waiting for my answer. Like I was going to say no.

"Okay."

I slowly got up, still feeling slightly dizzy, and walked over to him. Then everything around me started to spin. He quickly caught me before I hit the ground, right in time.

"Oops!"

"Be careful!" he said.

That was easy for him to say, he wasn't wounded. He picked me up bridal style and started to walk. I stiffened a little. His sudden movement surprised me, but I didn't want to let him notice that.

"Thanks," I whispered, truthfully.

"Don't mention it."

I looked into his steel blue eyes, but he didn't look down. His eyes were on the road, just in case some Heartless would decide to show up. He really wasn't much of a talker.

How strange, though. I had a feeling that I had seen him somewhere before, I meant in Real Life. I just couldn't remember where, or when. I felt like I was safe when I was with him. Maybe it was just because I knew I was safe, thanks to the game.

Then I lost consciousness and everything turned black around me.

* * *

I walked all alone. I had trained a little bit, as I still did every day. It was dark outside, but that didn't matter, because I knew the way very well. I bet I could even find my way with my eyes closed. I wasn't going to try it, though. That was more something that Yuffie would do, not me.

I was wondering what the king had meant with an unexpected visit. It couldn't be Sora, because he had visited us already and he left today. Or maybe he planned to visit us again, because he had forgotten something. In that case, it actually was unexpected.

Sora was so strange sometimes. I still didn't get how it was possible that someone like him could become a Keyblade master. Who knows, maybe it was tough luck indeed.

The king had said, "We will get an unexpected visit very soon. It's written in the stars."

Who could it be then? Was it…no, he shouldn't think of her anymore, simply because it couldn't be possible. He had lost hope a long time ago. She probably was dead, just like everyone he had cared about once, before he had gone to Traverse Town.

Then I heard someone screaming, "Help! Help me! Please, someone! Is there anyone?"

It was a girl's voice. It sounded like she was in grave danger.

I swiftly started to run to the direction where the voice came. It brought me to a dead alley.

Who was that stupid to run in a dead alley anyway? That only meant one thing: she didn't know this place. Or she really was stupid enough to run into a dead , was that the unexpected visitor?

When I reached the dead alley, I saw that a girl with long, dark brown hair lay on the ground. I couldn't see her face, because her hair was in front of her eyes, like a dark curtain. What I did see though, was that she had a huge wound, which was still bleeding. A Heartless wanted to attack her, but I could stop that right in time with the Gunblade.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

That was seriously one of the stupidest questions I had ever asked someone. Of course she wasn't okay! She was bleeding to death, right here in front of me. What was I thinking? What was wrong with me? I shook my head, half ashamed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a...short break. I can't fight, because I don't have any weapons," she answered.

Like she could fight in this condition, anyway. I tried not to roll my eyes.

"Okay, I'll cover you then," was all I said.

"Okay, thanks," she said softly.

"You're welcome."

I started to attack the Heartless. I defeated them all in no time. This wasn't such a challenge. More like a "Piece of cake," as Sora would put it.

Then I turned and looked at her. She had steel blue eyes, just like me. I saw that her blue shirt was covered all in blood. That just had to hurt.

"Hmm, that doesn't look good. Let me help you. Come with me, so I can take care of your wound," I said frowning.

I saw how she was hesitating. Of course, it wasn't that smart for a young girl to go with strangers. Maybe I had to reassure her, because she really needed help, as soon as possible. He didn't have to do all of this if he had brought a potion with him, but he had thought it wasn't needed. Aerith had been right about it. One could never know for sure when you needed a potion.

"You don't have to be scared. I won't hurt you. I promise. I'm Head of the town's Restoration Committee and our headquarters is not that far from here."

"Ehm..."

She had to say yes. And even if she didn't, then I wouldn't listen to her. She didn't look like she could think properly or stop me right now. Fortunately, she was no match for me.

"Okay."

She got up, albeit rather slowly, and walked over to me, as long as you could call that walking. Before she had reached me, she somehow lost her balance and fell. I caught her before she hit the ground and could hurt herself more.

"Oops!"

"Be careful!" I said.

She couldn't even walk. I had to bring her to Merlin, or Aerith. They could easily heal her wound.

I picked her up bridal style and started to walk carefully, with her in my arms. At first, she stiffened a little bit. I was afraid that I had hurt her, but when she talked again, I calmed down a bit.

"Thanks," she whispered and she smiled a little bit.

"Don't mention it."

I looked into her bright, steel blue eyes, just when she lost consciousness.

How strange. I had a feeling that I had seen her somewhere before. But where and when? Why couldn't I remember more of it? Maybe Merlin knew the right answers.

* * *

I heard voices again. Not the same voices I had heard before, though. One voice was of an old man and there were also voices of younger people. They were talking about me again. I couldn't hear what they were saying, though, because they whispered.

"...WHAAAT?..." a young girl cried, incredulously.

Okay, I heard that loud and clearly. She really sounded like Yuffie.

"...Shhhh!..." three other voices said simoultanously, sharply and angrily.

"...Sorry..." the girl said again, but softer now.

Wait, it really was Yuffie! Wow, was I that interesting that everyone kept talking about me? Unbelievable.

I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. So eventually, I gave up and just listened to whatever they were saying. It seemed that they didn't notice that I had come to. I could use that to my advantage.

"...Seriously? But, Leon...how do you know? I mean, you said that she..." Yuffie said surprised.

Here, her voice became a whisper. I couldn't concentrate enough to get what she was whispering.

I knew that Leon meant "Lion" in Greek and Latin. He really was as brave as a lion, risking his life for other people everyday. Maybe he was even braver, for he risked his own life to safe me, while he didn't even know me like he knew the other townspeople.

Then, I heard nothing anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, maybe you know by now where the story will go to, maybe not. You'll find out soon enough. Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Squally and Linny

**A/N: Thanks: Yunagirlamy and havocknight7134**

**I hope the POV changes aren't confusing you. Enjoy reading!**

* * *

Everything hurt like hell, from my head till my toes. Every movement hurt, so I stopped moving around, too.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I lay in a comfortable bed. Fortunately, my side didn't bleed anymore. It was bandaged and it itched terribly. Then I remembered everything that had happened before. Rick in the hospital…the voices…the Heartless attack…being saved by Leon.

Speaking of which, where was he?

I curiously looked around and I saw a wooden wardrobe, desk and a chair. On the chair was the jacket of the swordsman who saved me. On the desk were photos, but I couldn't see them, because they were too far away for me. The room had too much light. My eyes started to hurt, but I didn't have the energy to walk to the curtains and close them.

The door opened and the guy who had saved me from the Heartless entered the room.

"I see you woke up?" he asked me.

I nodded briefly, but stopped when my head started to hurt, too.

"How do you feel now?"

Honestly, I felt horrible, but that was only logical.

"Well, there were times that I've felt better," I answered, frowning.

I didn't want to confess that I had never felt so lonely and glum. I didn't know him that good to trust him and give him such information. Besides, chances were big that he would laugh at me.

"Aha," was all he said.

He probably didn't know what else to say. When he saw that I couldn't open my eyes too much, he walked to the curtains and closed them for me.

"Better?" he asked.

I nodded once again and grimaced in pain, again.

"Much better."

"We've found your baggage, too."

"Oh," was all I could say.

My bagage? I was wondering how it had got here all by itself.

"Merlin, a wizard, looked at your wound and healed it. I helped him bandage it. You've got to rest a little. Everything's going to be alright," he said.

I wasn't sure of that myself, but I kept that for myself.

"Okay, I hope so...thanks for saving me."

"No problem."

I wanted to ask him so much, but I didn't really dare. What would he think of me if I would do that? I would probably sound like a rabid fangirl. I always had a little crush on him. He was one of my favorite characters.

Meanwhile, he grabbed the only chair in the room and sat there next to the bed. He looked at me for a while. I felt how I started to blush. Why was he looking at me like that?

When I said nothing, he asked, "Did you walk away from home?"

Oh, that was all? I thought about it for a while.

"You can put it that way. But I don't have any regrets."

"I see," he said, nodding.

Silence returned.

"Who are you?"

He sure asked a lot of questions. He didn't know that I knew more about him than he did about me. I could use that in my advantage. How about playing a little confusing game with him? I was sure it was fun to annoy someone as stoic and aloof as him.

"Oh, you know. Just the average teenage girl who walked away from home. Forever," I replied, knowing that this answer wouldn't satisfy him.

"I meant your name."

"My name is of no importance," I said, trying to confuse him.

"Actually, it is. I saved you, so the least you could do is to tell me your name," he answered.

I used delaying tactics, to make this "game" more interesting.

"Sure, but my head and my eyes hurt so much. Could you do something about that, please?" I asked with the sweetest voice I had.

"I'll help you, don't worry. But first, tell me your name."

I said nothing. I tried not to smirk. I wanted to start with a new slate. Nobody knew me here, so I could act the way I wanted to. Plus, I wanted to show him what happened when I acted exactly like he did.

"Come on, you can trust me. I won't harm you."

I snorted at that. He looked inquiringly up at me, probably wondering what I was thinking now.

"Okay, I'll tell you my name, if you tell me yours first," I tried another tactic.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I? I asked you first. Or are you hiding something from me? Something very important? Are you scared of me, because you're a baddie? 'Cause if that's the point then you should be scared indeed. But you don't look that bad, if you ask me."

What a fantasy. Me, a baddie? Tsss. He really was headstrong, but I could act like that, too.

"Hmph," was all I said.

I had to come with something totally unexpected.

"Well? I'm still waiting for the answer. Or is "Hmph your name?" he asked, with a questioning look on his face.

"Oh, haha, what a sense of humor, Leon. Or shall I call you Squall?" I smirked.

His eyes widened slightly. He looked dumbfounded at me, which made me laugh even harder. He opened his mouth and closed it again, still surprised, when he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Oh, I wish I could read his mind now. I was sure that his thoughts were very interesting, according to that look on his face.

"What is it, Squally? Lost your tongue? You thought you could make me say my name first, huh?"

He frowned at that. Apparently, he didn't like this game as much as I did. What a shame.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" he asked once again, now more urgent.

"The best answers we find on our own, right Squally?" I smirked.

I could see he didn't get the point.

"Okay, let me give you a hint, sometimes, when I meet stubborn types like you, I can read their minds," I explained him.

"Really?" he asked surprised, although he tried not to show his curiosity for me.

He didn't succeed in that.

"You really ask a lot of questions, Squally. And no. I can't read minds, I was only teasing you," I said amused.

"But how-"

"I just told you, Squally: the best answers we find on our own. So why don't you go and read some books to find the answer, or something. And come back with some food, please, before I start to eat my shoes. That is, if I can find them. Or do you want me to go look for some food myself? I wish I could do that, but you just told me to rest, right?"

I saw he was thinking.

When he realized that he had no choice, he said, "Fine. I'll go and get some food for you. Stay here."

"Sure, Squally."

Duh, like I could go somewhere else. He turned.

"And don't call me Squally anymore. It's Leon."

"I'll call you whatever I want, Squally."

He tried to control himself. I saw that he made fists from his hands. I grinned. I knew that I was getting him on his nerves. It was fun, though. Now I finally knew how Yuffie had to be feeling every time she teased him.

"Someone is a bit angry," I said in a sing-song voice.

He choose to ignore me and slammed the door shut.

Before he came back, I had another dream, though. This time the whispering voices were of those familiar men.

"...In Hollow..."

"...This is our chance..."

"...Bastion..."

These guys knew where I was! Did that mean I was in danger, again? Who were they anyway? And why did they speak in riddles? That was what annoyed me the most. Well, that and the fact that I had no idea who they were.

"…We've waited long enough…"

"…What we need, is a plan…"

I returned to reality again, but I didn't open I eyes yet. Every time that I had one of those dreams again, I felt more exhausted than the last time I had such a dream.

Then, I heard Leon talking with some other people. I was curious of what he had to tell, so I acted like I was sleeping again.

"She knew my real name! I didn't tell her, though. How is that possible? First she said that she could read my mind, but then she said she was just teasing me. What do you think Merlin?" he asked.

"Well, I don't think she can read minds, because I don't feel that kind of magic around her. I have the feeling that she really _was_ only teasing you… You know, maybe it sounds strange, but I think I've seen her somewhere before. I just don't remember…" another man said.

He sounded old, kinda like Dumbledore from Harry Potter, but slightly different. That was Merlin, of course. He was the only one who sounded that old. I was glad he couldn't hear me, otherwise he would've been kinda mad at me for calling him old. Where could he possibly have seen me? He and his strange feelings...

"Whose side is she on, do you think?" Leon asked solemnly.

"I think the light. She has to be on our side if the Heartless attacked her," a young woman said.

That was Aerith. I did't even have to think about it. She was the only one who said these vague things. Well, Leon was good at being vague, too, but that was a different catagory of vagueness.

"Well, I think she's somewhere between darkness and light. It seems that she prefers the Darkness, though," Merlin said.

Yeah, the Road to Dawn, just like Riku.

"And I think she's on the side of Santa Clause," Yuffie said jokingly.

Huh? I thought, wondering what she meant with that.

"That wasn't funny, Yuffie," Leon said.

He sounded slightly annoyed with her, as always. I could hear the sarcasm practically dripping from his voice and I knew that he had rolled his eyes, again.

"Nah, you just don't have a sense of humor, that's all", Yuffie said, probably sticking her tongue out at him.

Touché. Take that, Leon.

"Hmpf," was all Leon said.

I tried not to smile, otherwise they would know that I was awake.

I thought Leon was right, though. It wasn't that funny.

Yuffie, Aerith and Merlin left after a while, but Leon stayed here. They closed the door behind them.

I knew that for sure, because Merlin had asked him to stay, just in case I would wake up. Leon had said nothing, so I assumed that he had merely nodded. I heard that he walked to the chair and took a seat again.

"No sense of humor. Hmpf, I'll show them what humor is," he said softly.

He sounded pretty pissed off. I smiled a little bit, something I better shouldn't have done.

"And you're not sleeping at all, are you?"

Now, he sounded pretty annoyed. Oops, he had probably seen that I was smiling. I hoped he wouldn't start yelling at me. Although that wouldn't surprise me at all.

I opened my eyes and caught his awfully intense stare. He was frowning, which, knowing him, didn't promise any good.

There was only one thought that run through my head: Uh-oh.

"Not any more. I was too hungry, so I woke up. Plus, you guys were practically screaming in my ear. Especially that hyper girl," I replied.

"Yuffie."

"If that's her name."

Of course, I knew it was Yuffie, but it would be a bit too strange for me to say 'yes,' because I'm not supposed to know anything about the Final Fantasy characters.

"Hmph."

I sighed. Like I said earlier, he isn't much of a talker.

"I guess that's a yes then," I said.

Leon looked strangely at me, like he actually wanted to laugh, but also didn't want to laugh at the same time. As soon as I blinked, that expression disappeard from his face, though.

The next moment he put a serving tray in front of me, which had a lot of tasty, mouth-watering food on it. It really smelled good, too. I couldn't wait to taste from it.

Suddenly, I felt as though I hadn't eaten something for at least three weeks. When was the last time I had eaten, anyway? I couldn't even remember it, so it had to be a long time ago.

"I brought some food for you. Bon appetit."

"Thanks!"

I started to eat. It wasn't that easy, though. I was still very tired, so I couldn't eat as fast as I used to. Leon kept looking at me with his piercing blue eyes. At this point, it was starting to get annoying. Why did he stay here, anyway?

"Do you want some?" I asked him, politely, pointing to the macaroni.

"No, thanks," he replied.

"Then why are you staring at me like I'm the first girl you've seen before?" I asked, irritated.

"It's just that you..."

I raised my eyebrows. It was just that I what?

"Yes?"

I waited patiently for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Never mind." He sighed, wearily.

"Okay...?"

I guess it was time to change the subject again.

"So how long have I been sleeping?" I asked.

It couldn't be that long. Maybe a few hours, or two days.

"Two, maybe three..."

"Hours?" I asked.

"No."

"Days?"

"Weeks."

_"What?"_

I choked on my drink. Leon waited patiently until I could breathe again. An amused stare was lingering on his face. Was I seeing things or was he really smirking?

"Seriously?" I asked, as soon as I could talk again.

"No. I just wanted to see how you would react…Lina," he said, smirking.

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes. Was he going to play it that way?

"H-how do you know my name?"

"The best answers we find on our own, right?" he replied.

I rolled my eyes.

"Stop joking around and get serious."

"You know, you ask a lot of questions too, Linny. Okay, I guess I'll have to give you a hint, then. Here it comes: let's say that sometimes, when I meet types who are even more stubborn than me, types like you for example, then I can read their minds. Isn't that just great?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked unbelievingly up at him.

"Yeah, sure. Who do you think I am? An idiot?"

"Okay, then don't believe it. It's your problem, Linny", he said amused.

I frowned, annoyed.

"Don't call me Linny. I hate that."

"I'll call you whatever I want, Linny."

"Hey, stop it! That's my text!" I said angrily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your majesty. Okay...how about I won't call you Linny anymore, if you stop call me Squally. Deal?"

I thought about it for a short while and I realized that I had no choice. There was no way I could come with something new to pester him.

"Okay, you win, meany."

He raised an eyebrow at me and I knew what was coming now.

"Look who's calling who meany."

I gave him the dirtiest look I had.

"If looks could kill people, then I would be ten feet under the ground right now," he noted.

He still made no intentions to leave. He was probably waiting until I was finished with eating my diner. I knew why he was waiting, so I tried to eat very slowly, so I could annoy him again, or so that he would finally leave me alone. Maybe he would even fall asleep if I continued eating this slowly. Man, I had never thought that he could be such a pain in the-

"I know what you're doing, Lina, and it's not a problem at all. I have all the time of the world, just in case you were wondering."

What? Wait. How did he-

"I can read your mind, remember?" he answered, when he saw my astonished face.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" I said madly.

"Because getting on your nerves amuses me more than anything," he answered, in a matter-of-factly way.

I sighed.

"Moron," I said softly.

_"Excuse me?"_

I knew very well that he had heard what I had said, loud and clearly. This was just another stupid trick to get me on my poor nerves.

"Nothing," I replied, quickly.

I could feel how my cheeks grew warmer. It wasn't my intention to say that loud enough for him to hear in the first place.

He narrowed his striking blue eyes into thin slits, while asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

I swiftly averted my gaze, just in case it would make me blush more.

"Anyway, what happened to your back?" he asked me suddenly.

My heart almost stopped beating. My mouth felt dry all of a sudden. Was there something wrong with my back? It didn't really feel wrong.

"What do you mean, what happened to my back? I still have it, right?"

"I mean, how did you get those stripes? I know that the Heartless can't do that."

Oh, that? Had I already mentioned that I was very clumsy? Well, this is what happened three days ago; I tried to do a trick - I think it's called something like an Ollie? - on my brother's skateboard, not because I liked scateboarding, but because I had lost a bet with that sneaky little monster. I thought I was going to make it, but then I fell on my back and well...

The main thing is that I had survived it and I'll _never_ do such a stupid thing anymore. The idea only scares the living daylights out of me. The whole school knew about it the next day, thanks to Rick and his disgusting friends.

Leon didn't have to know what had happened, right? It was none of his business, anyway. Besides, that would only give him another reason to annoy the heck out of me.

* * *

**A/N:Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it. Clumsiness, it's not a rare talent these days. Will she tell him what happened or not? It's all in the next chapters. ****Leave a review if you'd like to! It makes me smile. :D**


	4. Organization XIII

**A/N: Thanks: my friend**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

I could tell that he was thinking that someone beat me up, or something. It was written all over his face, as much as that was possible with Leon.

"Oh that!" I said, as though I just remembered it, "it happened by accident. My eh…my cat did it. He jumped up on me and-"

"Your cat?" He asked, incredulously.

Not that I had one. Of course he didn't believe me.

"Not anymore. He died, because of a bite."

"Oh… I'm sorry," he said, frowning.

"That's okay. You couldn't know that."

After a short silence, he asked, "Did a dog bite him?"

"A dog? No, of course not. I did. I was furious because of what he did. I didn't mean to kill him, it just happened accidentally," I said.

His jaw almost reached the floor while his eyes widened slightly. I laughed.

"I was just kidding, Leon. It's just not what you were thinking. I fell over something and landed on my back. That's all. Don't worry, nobody beat me up, or something."

"Well, at least you have fun," Leon muttered.

"Yes. I have to admit that-"

Suddenly I widened my eyes. I caught my breath in a half-gasp.

"What's wrong?" Leon immediately asked, almost as if he had waited for such a reaction from me.

He was probably thinking that I had pain, or something.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? How dare you! I'll tell you what's wrong. You…sick pervert! You were looking at my body! How dare you! What did you think? 'Oh, Lina can't tell me I'm not allowed to, so I'll use this moment in my advantage.'? What else did you do? And don't you DARE to lie to me, 'cause I can see it when you lie!"

"I didn't do any of that. Besides, I wasn't the first one who looked at your back! Merlin was the one who-" he started.

I growled furiously.

"But that's even worse! You let the old man look at my body? That's sick, you know! Oh, I wish you were the only one who saw it," I said, looking disgusted.

Leon sighed.

"It seems that you don't even know what you want. First you're mad, because you thought that I used you to fulfill my sick fantasies, – which I didn't. Not that I have them – but when you discovered it was Merlin who saw it first, you were also furious, because I wasn't the one who looked at your back. I really don't get you and I truly have respect for the ones who do get you."

I didn't know what to say. He had a point there. Sometimes I didn't even know myself what I wanted or what I was talking about, but that was very normal, right? I bet everyone sometimes had that confusing feeling. I just wanted to tell him that, when he got up and walked to the door.

"I'm leaving. You should rest some more." He turned to face me. "Oh, and Lina?"

"Yes?"

"You'd better think before you speak. That's what smart people do."

I rolled my eyes. It had become quite a habit when he was near me.

"I saw that," he said, with his back turned to me.

After these words he left, softly closing the door behind him.

* * *

Okay, maybe Leon wasn't that bad as he had looked first. And he actually did have a good sense of humor, although he didn't show it that often. I really laughed a lot when he was around me. I started to trust him some more, but I didn't think he saw me as a friend yet. I couldn't blame him, though.

However, I felt something else, I felt more for him. I tried to forget it, I tried to ignore it, I tried everything, but it didn't work at all. I was getting in love with him. That wouldn't even surprise me, because he could be really nice when he wanted to. Usually, though, he was his cold and distant self, not only around me, but around other people, too.

I was so excited about today, that I woke up far too early. Today was the first day I was allowed to get out of my bed. I already had met the others once. They seemed all very nice.

I looked at my watch. It was six O' clock. I realized that I couldn't fall back asleep again, so I got up to take a shower. Leon had told me how he knew my name. He had seen my passport that had been in my bag.

"Of course. Why haven't I thought about that?" I had said and he had smiled.

It had been a small smile, barely noticeable, but still big enough to notice. His smile…it looked like the whole world was smiling along when he smiled. What a pity that he didn't do it that much.

When I realized what I was thinking, I blushed madly. I was glad nobody could read my mind and nobody could see me, now that I was blushing. That would be so embarrassing.

When I had done my daily routines, like brushing my teeth, putting my clothes on, doing my hair, taking a shower, etc., I decided to go downstairs, to the kitchen. I was sure that I was the first one who was awake.

I wasn't right about that one, though. Yuffie and Merlin were sitting on the table with a cup of tea or coffee, while Aerith was doing the dishes. When I saw all that food, I realized how hungry I truly was, again. Merlin was the first one who noticed me.

"Well well, good morning, Lina. How did you sleep?" he asked me with a friendly and enthousiastic voice.

"Very well, thanks." I lied.

Actually, I couldn't get any sleep the whole night. I wasn't tired, though. More like the opposite. I felt like I had too much energy in my body, which was pretty strange.

Yuffie looked at me with a goofy smile, and said, "Man, you're early. You have the potential of being a ninja, you know?"

"Oh really? Maybe you can teach me?" I asked.

Please say yes, please say yes! I was wondering what she would teach me then.

Her grin grew bigger and I already knew the answer.

"Sure!"

"But not before she's had a good breakfast," Aerith said.

I agreed with her. So I took a seat and began to eat. It was delicious. Aerith really was good at cooking. She had to, because I couldn't imagine a cooking Yuffie or Cid. They would probably only burn things. Leon and Cloud were probably too busy to cook, so that left only her. I wondered how long she had cooked for them so far.

The only things I was doing lately were eating and sleeping. No sports, no movement. That had to change, and quick.

* * *

Lina's reaction when I told her how I knew her name, was unforgettable. I would never admit it out loud, but teasing her was fun. I hadn't felt so good for years. Somehow, she reminded me of my little sister. Not that I had known her that good. Only for two years.

Thinking about my little sister who was dead, still hurt me. She had been kidnapped a long time ago and I couldn't even save her. What kind of a brother was I? I hadn't only disappointed her, but our parents, too.

I ignored my feelings and knocked on the door of Lina's room. She didn't answer immediately, like she always would do, though.

"Lina? Open up, it's me, Leon."

Still no answer. I listened. I couldn't hear a sound, so she wasn't taking a shower, either. Then what was she doing?

I opened the door. Lina wasn't in her bed, as she used to be. I looked in the bathroom: nothing. On the balcony: nothing. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find her. Maybe she had gone downstairs? Probably.

I decided to go downstairs, too. When I reached the kitchen, Yuffie was the first one who spoke to me, as always. She was sitting at the kitchen table, just like Merlin and Lina.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Yuffie started teasingly.

"Hi," I said, while stepping to the table to take a seat, opposite of Lina's.

* * *

When I finished my breakfast, Leon came in.

"Goodmorning, sleepyhead."

Leon muttered a greet, while looking at me. He stepped forwards and took a seat on the opposite of me.

"Wow, somebody's not a morning person," Yuffie noted.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shut up," was the only thing Leon said.

"I don't take orders from you!" Yuffie yelled.

She got up and it looked like she was going to attack Leon.

"Yuffie, just shut up and let me eat. I think you'd do everyone here a favor. Besides, fighting with an empty stomach isn't healthy," Leon said bluntly.

Yuffie's face went red. This was probably a good time to change the subject, before people would start killing each other during breakfast.

"Yuffie, I've finished my breakfast. Why don't we go outside so that you can show me your ninja skills? I'm really curious for how talented you are. I'm sure that Leon's finished his breakfast by the time we're done. So you can kill him later if you want to, okay? First, you have to warm up for it."

Yuffie glared at Leon, before she said happily, "Okay! Come on, Lina! I'll show you something you've never seen before in you whole life!"

I laughed. She really was hyper. I quickly looked at Leon when I got up, meeting his eyes. He nodded a thanks. I felt how my face was getting red. Oh no, not again. I quickly left the room, so that nobody could see my red face.

* * *

I was still training hard with Yuffie, when it was two O' clock. She taught me some new tricks that could be of great use. I also had a lot of fun with her.

"Okay, let's have a short break," Yuffie said.

"That soon already?" I asked, sarcastically.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out playfully to me. I did exactly the same to her. I sat on the floor, next to Yuffie.

"Sooo..." Yuffie started, "what was that all about?"

"Huh?" I said, immediately wondering if she had seen my face getting red.

"In the kitchen, with Leon. First, I saw him looking at you in a strange way, and then you tried to save his sorry ass by going outside with me."

I didn't know that Yuffie had noticed that, too.

"Well, he said that he was hungry and he wanted to eat first. So I thought it was the best to let him eat first, otherwise he'll be grumpy for the rest of the day," I explained.

"Hmm..."

"What?" I asked, with curiosity in my voice.

"If you say so..."

"You don't believe me?" I asked.

"…I didn't say that."

"But you sure as heck thought it, didn't you?"

Yuffie did't reply, not looking at me, but at her shoes, as if they were the most interesting things she had ever seen.

"So that's a 'yes.'"

"Actually, I have no idea what to think of Leon lately. I mean, I know him very well. I've known him my whole life. He doesn't often show his feelings to other people. Not even to me, one of his best friends _and_ his fighting partner. I know how he must be feeling, though. He's the silent type, sometimes very complicated. Well, actually almost always, and always fighting for what's right. He's also sad, but he always tries to hide it."

This surprised me.

"Why?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Because he doesn't want other people to know him that well. He can use that as his advantage, you see? But as of lately, he smiles more. I have no idea why, though. Maybe it's because he's happy to be back here, where he was born."

I nodded. Man, he looked just like me. More than I knew.

"But that's not what I meant. I wanted to know why he's so sad," I said.

Yuffie looked at me for a short while. I could see the doubt on her face.

"I don't think I'm the right person to tell you that. You'll have to ask Leon himself."

I was afraid I would hear that.

"Oh. Okay."

We were both silent from that moment on. We both had our own thoughts to think about. I was thinking about the only dream I had last night. Or maybe it was the only dream I could remember.

It was a strange one. I didn't know if it was just a dream, or a far-off memory. It looked so real, though. Maybe I had made this up, because I didn't like my life anymore. And I thought so many times about it, that soon enough I thought that it was for real. But I forgot about it and now I was dreaming it again. Or maybe I just dreamed it, because I thought so much about him lately. I really didn't know.

* * *

_In my dream, I was walking in Radiant Garden with another young boy. He was eleven years old. We both had an ice cream in our hand. Mine, vanilla and chocolate. I loved, love and will always love vanilla and chocolate._

_"Lina, not so fast. Don't go too far. __Come back or wait for me. Linny!" the boy laughed._

_He had steel blue eyes and short, dark brown hair. My hair was long and I remembered that my mum had pulled it together in a ponytail. I looked so cute in my white and pink dress and these pink boots were matching perfectly with my dress._

_"Squally don't worry! Linny can find home!" I squealed._

_The boy laughed again and chased after me. I screamed of joy and tried to run away from him as hard as I could._

_That was when I had wondered if this Squally could be _him.

_I, the little girl of three, stopped when I had run into a man who wore the same coat as the members of Organization XIII wore. __I looked up at him, but I couldn't see his face, because it was all covered in the dark. __I got a strange alarming feeling inside of me, like that man meant trouble to me._

_"Squally! Black man!" I said._

_The man in black took my arm and dragged me along with him. __The boy couldn't do anything to save me from the scary man, for he was too small for him. __He was just a child, what was he supposed to do?_

_"Lina!"_

_"Squally! I want to go to Squally! You bad black man!" I cried._

_"Let her go!" the boy yelled furiously, but also a bit scared._

_I didn't blame him, though. Naturally, the man didn't listen to me and the boy. The boy ran to the man, trying to attack him. The man was too strong and pushed him away. The boy, Squally, fell against a wall and didn't move anymore. Just like Rick. Deja vu._

_"You hurt Squally! You bad, bad man! I hate you!"_

_I started to cry and yell, as I tried to punch the man, because he had hurt the boy. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed. He put a handkerchief on my nose. I tried to push it away, because it smelled strange and I couldn't breathe anymore. __The man was too strong for a three years old child. __I felt like I was under water. Then everything went black..._

* * *

Yuffie was the one who broke the long, but pleasant silence.

"Come on, I think we've trained enough for today. Let's go to Merlin's."

I agreed with her on that point.

"Okay."

We both got up just when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps, approaching us. It was Leon. He had his gun blade in his hand.

"Oh, now he's gonna have his revenge on me, mark my words," Yuffie whispered.

"So there you are! And Yuffie, I heard that. Today I'll spare you. Lina, Merlin wants to speak with you, so I offered to go look for you," he said.

"Ehm...okay," I said.

The three of us walked back. I suddenly got a strange feeling in my stomach when we were near the bailey. Not the feeling of having hungry. This feeling was worse. It was exactly the same feeling I had had in my dream.

I looked around and saw shadows appearing almost everywhere. They seemed to be darker than black.

"Now what's happening?" Yuffie wondered.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. And of course, I was right. A whole bunch of Heartless appeared around me. Did those things ever have a break? Apparently not.

"Lina, watch out!"

Leon saved me right in time from one of them. He and Yuffie fought the creatures. I felt so useless right that moment, because I couldn't do anything but stand there and watch Leon and Yuffie fight the Heartless off. They protected me and defeated all those black creatures in no time.

"Man, I thought this was never coming to an end," Yuffie admitted, sighing wearily.

"Well, well, if that isn't the Hollow Bastion's Restoration Committee. And look, now they have a guest with them," a deep voice said.

That voice made me shiver. I recognized that voice immediately.

"Who's that? Show yourself!" Yuffie yelled.

No, please go away! Yuffie had no idea what she was doing. Seven people with black hooded coats appeared just above the stairs. It was Xemnas with his stupid organization again.

"Let me introduce ourselves. We're Organization XIII," one man said.

That was getting very old to me.

"And we're leaving, 'cause we're not interested. Let's go," Leon said, while he took my upper arm and turned away from the Organization.

I nodded and started to walk away. This time I didn't even have the time to blush from the contact.

"Lina, if I'm right? It seems that you trust your arrogant boyfriend very much, huh? However, I don't think that's very smart of you. And if you walk away now, you'll never find out why," Xemnas said.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.** **Leave a review, if you'd like to. :)**


	5. Confusion and Darkness

**A/N: Thanks: my friend**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

I stopped. What was he talking about now? Most of the time in this game he had been right. When he had talked to Sora for example. But this was nonsense of course.

"Don't listen to him, come on," Leon whispered.

I didn't move, though, for he had managed to make me curious.

"What do you mean? How can I trust you, if you don't even show me your face?" I asked to Xemnas.

"Believe me, I'm not that kind of person who lies about important things like this. Lina, do you even know who you really are?" Xemnas asked.

_Duh_. I tried not to roll my eyes at that.

"I'm Lina."

"Just Lina? Are you sure? You can't believe everything they say these times..."

What did he mean? Was I supposed to be the second Keyblade's chosen one, or something?

They must've seen how shocked and confused I was, because they all started to laugh as if on cue.

"She used to give me that same look when she was young. Well, I see she hasn't changed one bit," Xemnas said again.

"What do you mean?" I asked, more urgent now.

They didn't reply, but disappeared, leaving me alone with random and scary thoughts, which was their style. What did they know about me and Leon that I didn't?

"Lina?"

Leon's voice brought me back to reality. I looked at him.

"I'm going to Merlin's."

I started to walk away, without waiting for his respond.

"Lina, not so fast. I'm coming with you," he said.

"Squally don't worry! I can find Merlin's house by myself!"

At once, I stopped walking and breathing. I couldn't help but say those words, like they rolled automatically out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was probably because I was thinking about these words all the time. I couldn't control myself.

I bit on my lip and turned around, slowly. I was curious, but also scared for Leon's reaction. Leon had widened his eyes a little bit, just like me, but he said nothing else to me. It was impossible for Yuffie to see that he was amazed with my words.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Leon. I won't call you Squally anymore. I didn't do it on purpose," I said and I looked away quickly.

Leon blinked, as if he just woke up from some deep slumber.

"It's okay, Lina. Now let's go. Merlin's waiting for you."

"Okay," I said.

I started to run to Merlin's house. Leon and Yuffie quickly followed me.

I knocked on the door of Merlin's house when I got there, rather impatiently. Cid was the one who opened the door.

"Hey Lina! How're ya doing, kid?"

"I'm..."

I think "confused" was the right word here.

"Fine, thanks," I smiled.

I felt how Leon and Yuffie looked at me when I said that, for they knew I was lying. Luckily, they said nothing about it.

"Good, good! Merlin's waiting for you," he said and he continued working on his computer again, which he was doing every day.

Didn't he ever get bored, doing it too much? I, Leon and Yuffie entered the house. I walked over to Merlin when I saw him sitting in a chair. He was reading a very thick book. By the look of it, it probably had a thousant pages.

"Hey Merlin. You wanted to speak with me?" I asked.

"Why, yes. Follow me. But only you, Lina. Leon and Yuffie can wait here outside for you," Merlin said, after looking up from his reading.

I saw that Leon and Yuffie were kind of disappointed, while I followed Merlin to a secret room. How funny. I didn't even know about the existence of this room. I was wondering how many secret rooms Merlin actually had, because the house had looked too small for five persons in the game.

Everything in this room was white; the door, the chairs, the desk and table, the walls, the books, the curtains, even the wardrobe. My eyes started to hurt, because it was too white for me. This room seemed to have a kind of light in it. It was nice warm, but my eyes started to hurt a little. Merlin took a seat.

"So. That's a lot better, don't you think? Lina, please take a seat."

I sat on the opposite of him and waited until the wise wizard would speak again.

"This is my special room. When I'm here, my magic works better and I can think better of how to solve all the problems we have lately. And believe me, there are a lot of problems lately. So that's mainly why I wanted to speak with you here. Maybe this room works for you, too. We'll see", he said.

Yeah, it worked, if you wanted to give me a terrible headache. I nodded briefly.

"What I wanted to say to you is maybe hard to understand...but first your own problems. I see that you're thinking and worrying about a lot of things right now, am I right?"

I nodded once again. My eyes widened a little bit. How did _he_ know? Could he read my mind? I paled a few shades by that thought.

"It's written all over your face, Lina. That's why I asked it," he explained.

Thank heavens. Then he didn't know I called him an old man.

This white room was getting on my nerves. I wanted to grab some felt-tips and color the whole room. I started to wonder how Naminé could survive in such a white room.

"Yes. We had a visit from an Organization. But...what they said confused me a lot. They said I'm not just Lina and that it's a bad idea to trust Leon. They also said that I haven't changed one bit, so that means that they know me for quite a while now. I have no idea how that's possible, though," I said.

Merlin nodded, thoughtfully.

"Hmm… I'm pretty sure that one of my books can help me to find the answers to your questions. I'll search for that book, but it'll take some time for me to find it." He sighed. "I'm afraid I'm getting forgetful these days. But when I find it, you'll be the first one to know. Is that okay?"

"Okay," I said, while I sighed relieved.

"Lina, I've been thinking. We don't know at all where you've come from, but it'll take some time for Cid to build a gummi ship. You can't travel without one. I heard from Leon, though, that you didn't want to do back. Is that true?"

I nodded.

"Yes, that's true," I said. "There's nothing left for me to go back to my old life. I'd rather stay here and help you guys rebuilding this place…if that's okay with everyone, of course."

Merlin smiled.

"Of course! The Restoration Comittee could use all help and I'm sure that everyone'll be glad to hear this great news from you. You can have the room you're sleeping in now.

Now it was my turn to smile brightly. I was so glad that Merlin didn't ask any more questions about my statement.

"Thank you so much! Really, you have no idea how happy you've made me with this."

"You're very welcome, my child. And don't-"

Merlin immediately stopped talking when the door was swung open and Yuffie fell inside with a loud "Oomph!"

She had probably been eaves dropping. Leon was nowhere to be seen, though, so it had been her own idea.

"Eavesdropping, huh? I could have expected that from you, Yuffie," Merlin noted, highly amused.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Yuffie cried, obviously offended by Merlin's insult.

She had narrowed her dark chocolate-like eyes into thin slits. I started to laugh at that.

"Lina, I think you should go back to your friends. It seems that they miss you already," Merlin said, ignoring Yuffie's last comment.

I nodded and walked over to Yuffie. I extended my hand toward her to help her get her up again.

"Thanks," she said, taking my hand, thankfully.

"No problem, Yuf."

She got up with my help and dusted herself off. Not that it was needed, though. Together, we walked out of the whitest room I had ever seen. I went to the small kitchen. Yuffie followed me.

Aerith was sitting at the kitchen table, writing something on a piece of paper. She looked up when she heard us entering the kitchen.

"Hi, Aerith," Yuffie and me said, almost simoultanously.

"Hello. What are you two doing?" she asked, smiling.

Yuffie shrugged.

"Nothing much. Let me guess, you want me and Lina to go and get some groceries for dinner, huh?"

Aerith nodded.

"That's right. If you don't mind. I've got to look to the Secret Reports, otherwise I would've done it myself," she explained.

"No, that's okay with us. Right, Lina?"

Yuffie looked at me over her shoulder and I nodded.

"Sure, why not?" I said.

"That's great! I already wrote everything we need on this list," Aerith said, while handing me the piece of paper she had been writing on a few seconds ago. "Have fun."

"Thanks. Bye Aerith!" Yuffie called.

She already ran at the door to get outside.

"Hey! Wait for me!" I called, before she would disappear without me.

"Then hurry up! We don't have all day."

I turned to Aerith and asked, already knowing the answer, "Is she always hyper like this?"

She smiled.

"I'm afraid so, but don't worry. You'll get used to it soon enough. Even Leon did."

"I hope you're right, then."

I sighed and then decided to run after her. I felt how Aerith was watching me.

* * *

"So are we done now?" Yuffie asked, after visiting the third shop.

Our arms were packed full of food. We both knew that Aerith would make delicious food again. Yuffie and me probably had to make the salad. I had learned that it was pretty much the only thing Yuffie could do without breaking or burning anything.

"Yup, we're done now, so we can go back home now, I guess," I replied, after checking the list one more time just to be sure that my eyes hadn't missed anything, which they hadn't.

"That's great, 'cause my arms are getting really tired from all those bags. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that they had put some brick stones in it, just to tease us," Yuffie noted.

I started to laugh.

"You're always trusting people, aren't you?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Of course not! I don't even trust Leon. Not after the day I had stolen one of his belts."

This perked my attention.

"Oh? I'd like to hear m-"

I stopped talking when I got the most sickening feeling ever. And of course I knew it had nothing to do with Yuffie.

So I looked around, wanting to know why I was feeling like this again, for it had happened before. I expected to notice something dark. Maybe more Heartless and Nobodies, or even a member of the Organization. Nothing would surprise me anymore.

"Lina, what's wrong?" Yuffie asked immediately, frowning slightly.

That frown didn't suit Yuffie's face. It was very out of place, because her trademark grin was nowhere to be seen, and that was something wrong.

"I don't know. I feel so...strange. Dizzy and sick. I don't know how to describe it."

A feeling of pure panic made me shiver once again. I had never felt something like that before. It scared me even more.

Suddenly I started to sink into the ground. The ground around me had become a black nothingness, the one that produced Heartless, or could be associated with Dark Corridors.

I yelped, which caused Yuffie to look at me.

"Lina!"

Yuffie sounded utterly shocked and very worried. It was black all around me. I couldn't see my knees anymore. They were gone!

"Yuffie, help!" I whispered, scared.

Yuffie let the bags in her hands fall. She tried to grab my arm and pull me back to her, but it was of no use. She let go of me, because I pulled her with me to the darkness. She run away.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Was she just letting me go like that? When she came back in view, I saw that she had a big, thick broomstick in her hands. I wondered where she had found that.

"Lina, grab this broomstick and try to pull yourself up!"

I had to admit that that was actually a smart idea.

I quickly did what he said. My legs were disappeared by now. Now it was my waist's turn. The darkness was not only around me, but it felt like it was entering my heart too, along with my head. I could feel it inside of me. I couldn't think that fast and clearly as I always used to do because of this darkness.

I started to hear strange voices in my head. Was I losing my mind?

_"Lina, you're almost there! Let go of her! That's all you have to do!"_

_"Let the darkness in your heart lead you to us!"_

_"Unlock your destiny!"_

_"Understand everything you can."_

Holy cow, I really was getting insane!

"Yuffie, I'm scared!" I said.

"Don't be scared. I'm with you!"

She tried to smile at me as long as she could, in hopes that it would calm me down a bit. Well, it looked more like a grimace, but strangely enough, it helped.

I felt how a warm feeling tried to chase away the darkness that had invaded my heart and my head. This Light had formed because of what Yuffie had said to me. It was friendship. I tried to keep that blistening feeling as long as I could, like it was the only thing that could help me.

Miraculously enough, I felt how I came above a little bit. But to make it more difficult for me to keep that special and happy feeling and for Yuffie to help me to pull myself up, Heartless and Nobodies appeared all around us.

Not these stupid things again! I thought.

"Crap, not now!" Yuffie cried.

She searched with one hand into all her pockets and cursed then several times under her breath when she didn't seem to find what she was looking for. I wondered what she was trying to do.

"I haven't brought any other weapons with me!"

She cursed once more, more frustrated with her stupidity this time. I didn't have any weapons, either, so...now what?

"Yuffie, I - I don't think I can take it any longer!" I said, while my tears started to run down on my face, as though it had started to rain.

And then, as if on cue, it really started to rain. That made it even more difficult for me to hold on to the stick, because all that water made it too smooth. It slid slowly out of my hands. The raindrops were big and cold and they fell very fast downwards.

"Of all the days it had to rain… Lina, you have to hold on! Please!" she begged, pulling harder at the broomstick, in another attempt to pull be back to her.

It was all in vain, though. I felt how my fingers slowly started to let off of the broomstick. I sank deeper and deeper into the everlasting darkness that surrounded me. The Heartless and Nobodies prepared to attack Yuffie. I couldn't and wouldn't let that happen. Not to her.

Maybe it was my fate to let go now. Well, then why would I differ from my destiny? If I had learned one thing, it was the fact that there wasn't a way to excape from it, anyway. It really hurt to think such a thing, but what choice did I have? I guessed that this was the last time I would see Yuffie, or any other human.

"I'll never forget you guys. We may never meet again, but you'll always be in my heart. I promise. Could you thank everyone for what they did for me?" I said softly, but Yuffie had heard me very well.

She widened her eyes in pure shock and disbelieve.

"What are you saying? Why are you saying such things? I won't let this happen! Don't let go! Just hold on! Do you hear me?"

I didn't listen to her. It hurt too much. I slowly let go of the broomstick, which caused that I sank deeper and deeper into the darkness. I saw how Yuffie's eyes were still filled with pure shock and I felt a twinge in my chest, before I lost consciousness.

I didn't see how Yuffie fought off all the Heartless and Nobodies with her last strength. I didn't see how Yuffie sat there lonely on the ground, doing nothing, but staring at the place where I had disappeared into the darkness once all of the creature were defeated. I didn't see anything, because it was black all around me.

"How am I going to explain this to everyone? How can I face them after what happened. It's all my fault," she whispered. "My fault."

* * *

It didn't matter whether I closed my eyes or not, because there was nothing to see but darkness. Black darkness, almost suffocating me. Not literally, of course.

I had never been this scared before in my whole life. Where were I? What was this? Was this the Realm of Darkness? How was I supposed to get out of this place if I didn't even know where I was? I didn't have the slightest clue.

Then I heared those damned voices again, much to my dismay. I recognised them immediately. Organization XIII. Who else? Those guys were really starting to get annoying.

"So we meet again? What a great surprise," Xemnas said.

I could practically hear the sarcasm drip from his voice.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

I tried not to sound scared, but I knew for sure that they knew that I was scared to death.

"Isn't that obvious yet? We want you to come and join our Organization, my dear princess, that's all. So there's no reason for you to be scared. We won't harm you. At least, not _yet_," Xemnas said.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it. ****Not really a cliff-hanger, but in the next chapter something unexpected will happen, so keep on reading and let me know what you think of it so far!**


	6. An Understandable Explanation

**A/N: Enjoy reading! ;)**

**Thanks: Arin-chan**

* * *

He started to laugh, evilly. Ugh, I really hated his laugh. And why did he call me a princess all of a sudden?

"Never!" I yelled back.

I heard how other, for me invisible, people started to laugh as well. They were probably with the Organization too.

"But isn't that your destiny?" Xemnas said again. "Then what are you waiting for? For someone to save you? That means you'll have to wait for ever. And we don't have that much time. Unlock your destiny. Understand everything you can. You are the Princess of Eternal Darkness. Why would you differ from your destiny, if you can do great things? You can't walk away from all this, whether you want to, or not. It's written in your destiny to become a member of this great organization. Everyone left you to your fate, even Leon. But we won't. We can promise that."

"Shut up! All of you! Like I'm gonna buy that? How dare you to say such lies about Leon?" I yelled angry.

Was it true what they said? Was I the Princess of... Eternal Darkness? But...it couldn't be that way, although it would certainly explain a lot of things.

"Did I touch a tender spot?" Xemnas said.

I could hear from his voice how he was smirking. The other members were laughing too. I didn't answer, though. I didn't want to give him another reason to annoy me.

"I guess I did."

The members of the Organization laughed even harder.

"You rotten piece of-"

"Are you angry? Do you hate us? Then why not using that agression? It can be very useful," another voice said.

I knew it was Saix, since he always said such cruel things in the game and he always used the anger of people to get what he wanted.

"I've told you before not to trust this Leon. I won't say why, because you have to discover this by yourself. The best answers we find on our own, right? But I think that old Merlin knows why. Perhaps you should ask him? I mean, if you ever get back."

The Organization laughed again, as if they would do anything just to refrain me from getting back to Merlin's. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" I yelled, full of rage, while I put my hands on my ears, trying to dim their annoying voises.

"As you wish. Let us know when you've changed your mind," was all Xemnas said.

A flash of white light appeared from out of nowhere. Then I was all alone in the darkness again, because of course it was too much fort hem to help me and get me out of here.

* * *

Yuffie didn't quite remember how exactly she had managed to get to Merlin's all by herself. It was all a blur to her. Her feet had dragged her automatically to that place, without her brain registering what was happening. It was all stuffed somewhere at the corner of her brains.

She knocked on the door, waiting patiently, almost as if nothing had happened. Cid was the one who opened it.

"Hey brat, get your ass inside, I can't stand here all day for you to finally get in. Aerith's been waiting for ya for quite some time now."

Yuffie nodded briefly, but she didn't even hear what the man had said. She hardly had the energy to nod, let alone start a conversation.

She walked to the kitchen, one bag still in her hand. It felt awfully heavy. She didn't even feel her arms anymore.

Aerith was still sitting at the kitchen table in the same way, almost as if she hadn't moved from the last time she had seen her, as if time had stoppe das soon as Yuffie and Lina had left the kitchen.

This time, though, she was companied by Leon, who seemed to be reading some documents. That proved once again that time couldn't be stopped. Not here.

Aerith smiled sweetly when she saw Yuffie, but Yuffie had her eyes cast down, to the floor. Leon didn't even bother to glance at her, being too engrossed in the papers he was studying thoroughtly. A small frown was visible on his chiselled face.

She gave the bag to Aerith, who immediately started to unpack it.

"Yuffie, you forgot the milk and the onions. Again! By the looks of it, you forgot even more!" She sighed, exasperatedly, while Leon only shook his head.

"And I thought this wouldn't happen if Lina went with you. Guess I was wrong once again…speaking of which, where is Lina? I didn't hear her come in. And where's the rest of the supplies?" Aerith noted, looking around to find that a certain brunette girl was missing.

When Yuffie didn't reply, Aerith looked up at her, still surprised surprised. When she saw how bad Yuffie was looking, she gasped.

"Yuffie? Are you alright? You look so pale."

This time, even Leon looked up from the piece of papers, still frowning slightly.

Yuffie put her hands in front of her face to hide the forming tears in the back of her eyes. It was too late, though, for both Leon and Aerith had seen them glistening. That, and the fact that her shoulders were shaking, had confirmed their suspicions.

"Yuffie," Aerith whispered, walking to her.

It was nothing for Yuffie to cry like that. The last time Aerith had seen her crying was three years ago, when she was fourteen.

"I'm so sorry, Aerith. Everything's my fault. All my fault," she muttered, her voice breaking at the edges.

Aerith and Leon briefly glanced at each other and then looked back at Yuffie, both wondering what she was talking about. Aerith herself was at a loss of words. Even the swordsman was taken aback by this sudden appearance, and that really meant a lot. He felt that something was completely wrong here.

"Where's Lina?" Leon asked, sharply.

"Gone…she's gone. All because of me," came the muffled answer. "I – I just couldn't do anything. I'm s-so s-sorry!"

First, Leon's eyes widened slightly. Then he managed to narrow them into thin slits.

"You need to explain this," he said.

* * *

The farther I walked, the less dark the darkness looked. It looked more grey. Dark and depressing grey, but still. It was better than black. There was enough light to see the difference between now and a few minutes ago.

Maybe this was all just a nightmare. I was sure I would wake up soon enough and then Leon would also be there and he would tell me that I suddenly had fallen asleep, or something.

I didn't wake up, though. I waited patiently…and waited. I waited for hours. Maybe even for days. I didn't know. I had no idea how fast or slow time was going here.

Just when I wanted to give up every hope I still had, I felt a hand around my wrist. The invisible hand pulled me with him or her to the light. That was why I didn't decide to fight it back.

I closed my eyes, because the light hurt immensely, like it had done in Merlin's room.

When I opened my eyes again I was standing in a white room, similar to the one I was just thinking about. That could only mean one thing: I was back in Merlin's white room again. I really had to stop stressing like this. It was always for nothing.

"Lina?" a familiar female voice said questioningly.

Hey, that wasn't Merlin! Unless he had found the power to change from a man into a woman now. But I knew that sweet-sounding voice. I had heard it somewhere before. I turned around. I could've known it. Who else could it be?

"Hello. Have a seat."

I did as she asked.

"My name is Naminé," the girl continued.

I guessed this was after Sora had woken up.

"Hi, Naminé. Ehm...do you know why everyone is calling me the Princess of Eternal Darkness lately? I'm not a princess. At least, not that I know. And why is it that everyone knows my name before I tell it?" I wondered, while frowning.

Naminé smiled sweetly. Which reason did she have to smile a me like that? Did that mean that she knew more about me than I did? Well, _that_ was pretty creepy.

"You're not really a princess. You're right about that one. It's actually just a nickname, like many members of the Organization have. And we all know you're name, because it's written in the stars."

"But the Organization said I was the Princess of - of... Eternal Darkness!"

"The Organization lied to you, so you would choose their side. The side of Eternal Darkness. There's no more hope left for us if you would chose their side. They know that, because you're strong. You have a power within you that can change some events in the future, simply because you can see it coming before anyone else. The Organization discovered it today. That's the reason they're troubling you. They want to use you in their own advantage, so they won't kill you. That is, until you give them what they want: Kingdom Hearts," Namine explained.

There was silence after Namine's words. So that was what it was all about? Leon and the others probably wouldn't believe this if I told them. That is...if I ever got a chance to see them again.

"I see. Say Naminé, is it your job to tell people about their past and destiny? Because I don't think I'm the first one who had paid a visit to you, am I right?"

Naminé widened her eyes a little bit and I could swear that I heard her thinking, How does she know?

I smirked. It really was good to know such things about people who didn't know that much about you. You always had a back up plan.

"When Light turns to Dark, the Calm becomes the Storm. When Reality is a Dream, then Good must face Evil. Courage is the Key. Unlock your destiny. Understand everything you can," Naminé said quizically.

Okay, I would do my best, but then she should try to speak normal English, my mother tongue and not some poetic language. Hey, now just wait a minute...

"That's exactly what the Organization said to me," I noted.

"That wouldn't surprise me. And yes, I think my destiny is to show people which way they have to go. That's why I tell them everything they need to know about themselves."

I wanted to ask her something else, but then a black portal appeared. A man in a black cloak entered the room. The Organization outfit. I was glad that I knew it was Riku, because if I didn't, I would freak out again.

"Naminé, there you are. Diz and I were getting worried. I've looked everywhere for you," Riku said with his deep voice. "And how many times have I told you that you're not allowed to bring strangers with you or even to talk to them?" he said, while he pointed to me with his gloved finger.

"I guess not enough," I muttered.

Riku ignored my remark, but I could tell that he was clearly annoyed.

"They could ruin all our plans and everything we've worked so hard for so far. It could be a spy of the Organization. She could be dangerous. Do you realize that? No, of course you don't, otherwise you would have never done this," Riku said, while he sighed wearily.

"Riku, do I really look that dangerous, like I'm a bad person? You have to admit that you look more scary than me, even when you're hiding your face!" I tried to reason.

"You know, she's got a point there, Riku," Naminé said, while she nodded.

"There, you see? She agrees with me, too," I said and I pointed to Namine.

"How do you know who I am? You haven't even seen my face," Riku asked, surprised.

"Riku, don't worry. She's not with the Organization. This is the girl we were looking for," Namine told him.

I felt how Riku gave me a good look. If he didn't stop looking at me like that, I would make him-

"Hmph..." was all he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped back.

He only shrugged, which made me sigh. This was going nowhere.

"Anyways, I would like to leave this place, but I can't."

"Why-"

"I don't know how, that's why," I said, interrupting him, "Naminé was the one who saved me from the Realm of Darkness, or whatever it's called these days. Oh, I almost forgot, thanks for that Naminé!"

I looked at her again and smiled.

"No problem, Princess Lina," she said and she smiled back and I saw how white her teeth were.

"Let me help you further then," Riku said.

That was a pleasant surprise for me. I felt that he was looking at me, so I tried to hide my amazement.

He made another dark portal. This one was for me.

I actually had never expected him to help me. He didn't really have a reason for it. Besides, he didn't seem to like me that much.

"Oh, and the next time you need some help..."

I looked questioning up at him.

"...don't count on us, for we might not notice."

"Oh," was all I could say.

I slowly stepped into the black portal and turned back to wave at Naminé again.

"Bye, Naminé. Thanks for the info. And thank you, too," I said, looking at both of them.

"You're welcome! Have a nice voyage home!"

"Thanks, Naminé!"

Riku only nodded at me when I looked at him. I hadn't expected something more, but I was happy enough with it.

I turned again and started to walk to the other side of the Dark Corridor.

"I think she's a nice girl," Namine said.

"I'm still wondering how she knew my name, though. Did you tell her that?" he asked, while he made another dark portal.

"No, I didn't. She really is mysterious. But all the great people have to be a little bit mysterious, right?" Namine noted.

"If you say so."

He disappeared into the dark portal, leaving Naminé all alone, just like every other day. She didn't mind in the least, though, for she had lots of things to do to keep herself from being bored.

She walked to the other end of the white table, where her sketchbook and crayons were. Then, she walked back with them and sat down on the white chair.

Naminé opened a new blank page and grabbed a blue crayon. Then she started drawing lines. Her new masterpiece would include the mysterious girl, called Lina, and her older, stoic brother, that was standing beside her.

* * *

I was leaning against a wall, in the very far corner in Merlin's house. I stared at Yuffie, who was pacing up and down the room. Up and down. Up and down. She did it all over and over again. Why? Probably because she didn't know what else to do. There wasn't that much we could do right now.

I was waiting to get some answers from Merlin. He was in his white room, searching for a certain 'important' book, which he apparently couldn't find that easily. He didn't even remember what the book looked like or what the title of the book was. How long did we have to wait here like this? A day? One week? Three years?

Every time Yuffie came past the front door, I quickly looked at it, almost as if I was expecting to see a smiling Lina, who would open the door to enter this room any moment now. Every time that it didn't happen, I made a frustrated noise, which was sometimes accompanied with a sigh.

"Leon, knock it off. You're giving me the nerves!" Yuffie cried, slightly annoyed, when she passed me for the eighth time this minute.

How could she say that? And why didn't she do me a favor and just shut up for at least ten seconds?

"But what if something happens to Lina? What if she's hurt? I'm very sure she's in trouble right now. I don't understand why Merlin told us to stay here and just wait, while he's in his room reading books and there's nobody else to help her out of trouble!" I snapped back.

Who was giving who the nerves now? With that said, I didn't stop doing what I was doing and she didn't stop pacing up and down in the room. She even started to walk faster. I didn't realize that for some time, though, for I had too much on my mind to worry about.

"He's searching for an answer in his books. Jeez, Leon. Calm down a bit! You gotta control your anger, because you're scaring the living daylights out of me right now! I've never seen you like this before…it seems that you care more about her that you tell us," Yuffie noted, giving him a significant sidelong glance after those words.

I said nothing, giving my hopes up on making her shut up. Not that I could've said anything if I had wanted to. I was wondering how long I could hold on like this.

The next time Lina would disappear, I would make sure to ask her to bring some ducttape with her when she decided to reappear again…that is, _if_ she would ever appeared again.

I felt like I knew her for years. Like our hearts were connected in an unexplainably way. Like we had found each other after all those years that we had been separated. But why would I tell all this to Yuffie? It wasn't like that would bring Lina back safely.

I really hoped she was okay. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her, because it would be all my fault. I couldn't save her, just the way I hadn't been able to save...Rinoa and...my younger sister.

I noticed how Yuffie followed all my movements with her dark eyes. I tried to ignore it, but it didn't work. She kept looking at me with that very strange look on her face. It really annoyed me.

I sighed, wearily, realizing that she was waiting for me to say something.

"Her safety was _my_ responsibility. I was the one who took her to Merlin's," I said at last. "And could you please stop looking at me like that?"

I really hoped she wouldn't look at me like that anymore.

* * *

**A/N: What did Naminé mean? Where is Lina now? ****Will she ever come back? Will I ever shut up? Probably not. Maybe you'll know it all soon enough. Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. Maybe you could leave a review? :)**


	7. Back Again

**A/N: Thanks: native-kitten, Kate, i love all yaoi, XxX-SparklingEyes-XxX**

* * *

This seemed to have the opposite effect, though, for she jumped out of the seat she had just taken, looking alarmed.

Oh no. This was just what I needed.

"Leon! Don't be so childish! It wasn't your fault," Yuffie yelled, getting pissed. "If it was someone's fault and responsibility…then it was mine. I wasn't able to pull her out of the pool of darkness, remember? You weren't even there, but I was. And I couldn't do anything."

Yuffie sighed, exasperatedly, looking all down again. I thought I saw some tears forming in the back of her eyes again, but I wasn't too sure.

It hurt to see my fighting partner sad like this. I had known Yuffie her whole life. Normally, she was such a happy-go-lucky kid, much like Sora. This sad expression didn't suit her at all.

She turned around to leave the room when she bumped into someone else who had just decided to appeare in the room, running out of a portal of pure Darkness. Said person yelped and they both fell on the ground after the collision. What the hell was happening?

* * *

At last! I was seeing some light appearing at the far end of the dark, dark tunnel. I had thought that I would never be able to find my way back home. Thank god Riku had found Naminé right in time and Naminé had found me right in time.

I smiled.

Now I gained a bit more hope again. Enough hope to survive the depressing silvery-grey darkness and return home safely.

At once, I started to run to the place where the warm light came from. Not that I was definitely sure that that would be my final destination, and, more importantly, the right one, but I had to try, otherwise I would be here for the rest of my life.

I noticed that the closer I came to the light, the warmer it was. I turned and saw how big my shadow had become in the mean time. That was just like in the game, when Sora and Roxas had to fight with that huge monster.

_The closer you come to the light, the greater your shadow becomes…_

And then… I had expected it to happen, because it always happened in the game on moments like this, but it still shocked me when I saw it. My shadow became alive!

I knew that now I really was in big trouble. Where was the brave boy with the Keyblade and that cool spiky hair when you needed him?

I sighed. The shadow grew bigger and bigger. It didn't seem to (want to) stop with growing. So now I had to fight him on my own? How? I didn't even have a Keyblade.

My shadow had become huge by now. Like a flat with at least ten storeys.

I was clueless. What was I supposed to do now? Why had nobody made a manual for this yet? Maybe I had to do that. I looked so small, so fragile compared with this black thing.

My shadow prepared to attack me. He stood between me and the tunnel of bright and warm light that had given me so much hope.

I rushed forwards and managed to dodge all the attacks of my evil shadow. That gave me some hope and courage.

When the monster lashed out at me again, something strange happened. I yelped and put my arms in front of me. The tips of my fingers became cold as ice and started glowing a faint silver-white light. Then, something shoot out of my fingertips. At a closer inspection it was ice magic.

"Whoa, where did _that_ come from?"

The shadow disappeared and I could see and feel the warm light again. Wow! How on earth did I do all this? And where did that ice magic come from all of the sudden? Everything had happened so incredibly fast. I didn't really get it.

I moved on, before the shadow would melt again. When I approached the light, I couldn't see anything. It was blinding me, so I held my hands protectively in front of my eyes, while I kept on running.

I actually didn't really know why I kept running like this, like the devil was chasing after me, while I couldn't see anything. My intuition told me to do that.

But what if my intuition was wrong? It wouldn't be the first time. What if I suddenly bumped into something hard or dangerous and made a painful smack? Who would help me out of trouble then?

Of course I was right about that bumping-thing. I really bumped into something. Or someone.

"Hey! What the-" Yuffie yelled, but she never completed her sentence, because then she saw who the person that had made her fall, was.

"Lina? What are you...where have you...how did you..._huh_?" Yuffie said, dumbfoundedly.

I laughed at her weird reaction.

"It really is hard to make complete sentences in your mother tongue, isn't it?" I said, smirking.

Yuffie didn't respond, though. She helped me to get up and hugged me immediately.

I didn't expect that to happen. I was almost suffocating and I heard how my bones cracked in a scary way. I also almost fell backwards again, but I miraculously managed to keep my balance.

"Yuffie... I can't...breathe," I huffed.

"Whoops. I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

I nodded and smiled again.

"Of course! I'm always fine when I'm with my friends, despite the fact that they try to kill me sometimes."

"Aaaw!" Yuffie said and she hugged me again.

I laughed. Didn't she hear the last words I said or was she just ignoring me? Either way, I didn't really care. I was far too happy that I was still fine.

"Thanks. At least I can breathe normally now."

Yuffie laughed too. Then I saw Leon, who was standing behind Yuffie. I smiled at him, but his reaction made my smile disappear like the sun always disappeared behind the big dark clouds that manage to ruin your whole day.

He looked disappointed. But why? I mean, I was safe now. Or did he want me to stay in the darkness like...forever? Nah, why would he want that?

"What is it with you? I've never seen you so grumpy. Has it anything to do with me?" I asked him.

Wait a sec. Did I actually really want to know this?

"Yeah, what's wrong? Are you too jealous to answer her questions? Jealous because she hugged me first?" Yuffie said, smirking.

"Jealous at _what_ exactly?" he said bluntly.

I raised my eyebrows. What was wrong with him?

Those words hit me like a knife. Yuffie stack out her tongue as a respond.

Then Merlin walked inside.

He asked, annoyed, "Leon and Yuffie, could you two _please_ knock it off? I can't concentrate when you guys are yelling like you're in a jungle, or something."

Merlin looked irritably at Leon and Yuffie. He didn't see me, because I was standing near the door, which was blocking his sight that moment. I could see him perfectly, though. His glasses were pretty dusty.

"Knock what off?" Yuffie and Leon asked innocently, at the same time.

"Let me give you a hint. I think he means your head," I answered.

"Oh, haha. Very funny, Lina!" Yuffie said, while rolling her eyes.

I did exactly the same when Merlin finally seemed to realize that I was in the room, too.

"Lina, you're back! I'm so glad you're okay. I thought Yuffie and Leon were arguing, because they do it like every hour. It's nothing new really," Merlin explained.

"Hey!" Leon and Yuffie both yelled, offended, at the same time.

They gave Merlin a dangerous look. It made me laugh.

"Well, it _is_ true. What happened? How did you get here?" Merlin asked, changing the subject.

"A girl named Naminé and a guy who's called Riku helped me to get out of the trouble. They were both very nice yet strange. But strange things happened...the Organization kept on calling me the Princess of Eternal Darkness, while I'm not even a princess...plus I can cast magic all of a sudden. Isn't that great?" I said, without breathing.

"Wow, how can you say all this so fast and in one breath? Even I can't do that!" Yuffie said.

I smiled. Leon and Yuffie looked astonished at this news, but Merlin didn't seem to be that surprised.

"Years of practise. Merlin, what's wrong? You look like you've expected all this," I noted.

Merlin sighed.

Oh no. Sighing had never been a good sign. That meant it was much worse than I had actually thought at first. Merlin confirmed my last train of thoughts by nodding briefly.

"As a matter of fact... I did. Lina and Leon, can I speak you two for a minute?" he asked solemnly.

Leon and I looked at each other for a short moment. Then Leon nodded.

"Sure," I said.

"Hey, and what about me?" Yuffie asked.

"Er...why don't you go and tell the rest to stop searching for Lina, because she's back?" Merlin suggested.

Yuffie didn't respond. She was too mad. Her face turned red as she walked away and slammed the door behind her.

"She's a little bit mad," Leon said.

No, really?

"A little bit?" I said, while I shook my head.

"Don't worry; she always forgets how mad she was after ten minutes," Leon said.

"Really?"

Wish I knew Leon as much as he knew Yuffie. Maybe I would understand him better then.

"What are you thinking of?" Leon suddenly asked.

I looked at him and shrugged.

How did he know I was thinking about something, anyway? Why did he always give me the feeling that he knew me much better than I knew him?

"Oh, nothing really. I was just...wondering what Merlin has found."

Probably nothing new, but hey, who knew? Maybe he now was finally able to answer all my questions.

"This way," Merlin said.

"Are you going to tell us about that book you were looking for?" I asked.

"You'll see soon enough."

I really hated it when people didn't tell me what was going on and kept all the information for themselves! Why couldn't he just say a simple and short 'yes' or 'no?'

I couldn't wait any longer. Couldn't he understand? I wanted to know everything right now! Not that anyone ever listened to me.

Merlin leaded us to his white room. I had seen this room too much today. And what a mess was it here. What exactly had happened to this room when I wasn't here? It almost looked as horrible as Tony's bedroom...

I inhaled sharply when I thought of him again. Leon gave me a sidelong glance, but didn't ask anything. I was glad he didn't. I was wondering how my _ex_ was doing now. Would he still be with Rebecca?

"Why are we here again? Couldn't we just stay there?" I said, while I squeezed my eyes, because I couldn't stand all that sharp white around me.

"Because I've found something that'll give you answers to all your questions," Merlin answered.

"And what has all this to do with me?" Leon asked.

He lifted an eyebrow, questioningly.

"Like I said before, you'll know soon enough."

"Hmph," was the answer.

I guess there was one other person who hated it to wait to get some answers.

"Let's see now, where did I put it again? It took me a couple of hours to find it, so I don't think I can loose it this fast already," Merlin said softly.

What? Why was I waiting here, wasting my time in this room that gave me a head ache if he didn't even know where he had put the stuff? Maybe it was better to come back three hours later.

I was say something about it when Merlin almost gave me a heart-attack.

He suddenly cried, "There it is! I've found it! You both might get the shock of your life, so please take a seat."

Why was he suddenly so nervous? Like he had committed a crime, or something. Maybe he had…

I did what he asked, but of course Leon didn't take a seat. When I looked at him, I saw that he had crossed his arms over his chest and waited patiently for Merlin to start telling him why he had to be here, while leaning against the wall. This seemed to be quite a habit for him.

He had that unemotional look on his face again, so I couldn't see what he was thinking or what he was feeling right now.

Merlin didn't start immediately. It looked like he needed some time for himself to cope this.

"We're waiting, take your time," I said sarcastically.

Merlin looked up, surprised, like he had forgotten that we were there with him too. Sometimes I really didn't understand him. He was so strange. Or maybe just excentric.

"Huh? Oh, right. I'm sorry for that. Well, the point is...eh, you see...actually ehm..." he started.

"Yes? Please continue," I said.

"I've found that one book I was looking for. It says some things about your past, Lina, but… I don't really know where to start," Merlin said, looking helpless.

"Well, let's start by the beginning. That's what I would do if I was you," I noted.

"Very well, then. I know you're still wondering how it's possible that you have those powers. I also know you never asked for it. It all happened to be a coincidence. Or maybe it's your destiny. Who knows..."

And there we went again. Destiny, I was hearing that word a lot, lately.

"Eh, Merlin, you kinda sound like a fortune-cookie. What exactly are you talking about?" I asked him impatiently.

Why couldn't he just talk in an understandable language?

Leon still said nothing. He didn't even move. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that he was a statue.

"Well, it all started nineteen years ago. At that time Hollow Bastion was known as Radiant Garden. That was before this place was surrounded by darkness. Our king was a good king. There was peace and everyone was happy, etcetera, etcetera. I think you get the picture now."

I nodded.

Merlin waited a few seconds before he continued, like he was lost in one of his most precious memories about that time.

I sighed. Honestly, how long did that man need to tell a simple story?

Leon coughed, to get Merlins attention. Luckily for us, it worked.

"But everything changed dramatically. Darkness invaded our world and a war started. The stars told us that the only one who could end all this was a girl that yet had to be born. She would have magical powers, just like her mother, who worked in Ansem the Wise's castle. A month later, a girl named Catalina was born. She was the daughter of this woman. Nobody knew who her father was. Sixteen years ago, a stranger from the outside world heard about Catalina. He attacked the palace of Radiant Garden. He wanted to steal her, because she could help him with his victory once she would let the darkness enter her heart and join him as the Princess of Eternal Darkness. Catalina and her half-brother were outside when he found them. He took Catalina with him and I found her half-brother unconscious on the street."

"Whoa!" I whispered.

I really felt strange after I heard the story, because it reminded me of the dream I had last night. It seemed all so familiar to me, but why?

"What happened to the girl's mother?" I asked.

"The stranger killed her when he found out that her child wasn't with her."

I gasped.

"What about Catalina's father?" Leon asked.

I looked at him. He was frowning. I knew he was curious, although he tried not to show it.

"Nobody knows, but we think he's been killed as well," Merlin answered.

"Hmph."

"I don't understand how I could forget such an important thing. I remembered everything when I found my notes," Merlin said, frustrated.

"But...who is Catalina and where is she now?" I asked.

It wasn't necessary for me to ask, because I had a hunch, but I wanted to be sure.

He handed me a piece of paper. It was a crumpled up and discoloured paper.

"Read it and you'll know."

I smoothed it out and started to read it. Leon was looking at it over my shoulder.

The more I read, the more I widened my eyes. I couldn't believe this.

The silence was almost scary. All I could hear, was my heartbeat and Leon's and my own breathing. The piece of paper seemed to be an old letter. One that had never been sent. It said,

_Dear Alicia,_

_I hope you are all fine._

_I wrote this letter, because I found out that the Organization will come after your daughter, Catalina. __The best thing you can do in my opinion, is to bring her to a saver place, even if that means that it has to be another world. That little girl is the only hope we have left. The Organization wants to take her away from us, maybe even kill her._

_I hope you will receive this letter in time. __Let me know what your decision will be._

_yours faithfully,_

_Merlin_

"The stranger attacked the woman when I wrote this letter, so she never read this," Merlin said.

So the name of Catalina's mother was Alicia?

"Catalina and I, we have a lot in common...so I guess I'm Catalina. Is that true?"

Merlin nodded sternly.

"But how's that possible? I've known my parents my whole life!"

I felt like a four year old child, who just didn't seem to understand anything. Why was everything always so complicated?

"The people you know as your parents, are not your real parents. You've been adopted by them. You see, one year after the man kidnapped you, another mysterious man rescued you. His identity is unknown, because it was a hooded figure. Maybe it was your real father. I think he was the one, for…who else could it have been?"

My mouth felt dry, just like my lips. It almost felt like I had lost my voice.

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. ****Reviews are more than welcome! :)**


	8. A secret revealed

It didn't sound like my voice when I asked Merlin, "And what about Cat- I mean, my half-brother? Who's that?"

I had a hunch about that too. I was happy and sad, surprised and mad, all at the same time. I didn't know I could feel so much, all at the same time.

Merlin sighed.

"Can't you think of anyone?" he said, "it's Leon. He's your half-brother."

I widened my eyes, because of this shocking news, despite the fact that I could have expected to hear that.

"No...way! Okay...is this your idea of a joke? 'Cause it's not really funny," I said to Merlin.

"No, I'm afraid it's not a joke. I'm telling you the truth, Lina."

It remained silent for a while. It was a tense silence, which no one dared to break.

I looked at Leon from the corner of my eye. As usual, I couldn't tell from his face what he was thinking right now.

Wasn't he ever tired of never showing his emotions to others? How did he manage to hide them for such a long time? He had to be as shocked as I was, right? Or...was he?

Another thought popped into my head. What if he had expected all this?

Then I remembered something he had said before, just after I had woken up here.

_"Man, why are you staring at me like I'm the first girl you've seen before?"_

_"It's just...never mind..."_

There was something about me, something he hadn't understand the night he had said that. Something that had set him thinking. What if he actually had wanted to say that I reminded him at the time we had been together?

"Lina, are you..." Merlin started worried.

I looked at Merlin, the first one who broke the silence.

"Am I what?"

"Are you okay? You look so pale. Maybe you should drink a glass of water."

Of course I looked pale. Everyone would've looked pale in my place.

How could Leon be my half-brother?

"No, thanks. I don't need any water."

Merlin ignored what I said and he made a glass of water appear in the air in front of me. It started to fall, so I had to take it to prevent the glass from breaking.

"So, do we have the same mother, or father?" I asked him.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had noticed the bitterness in my voice, because from the corner of my eye, I saw how Leon looked at me. I could read from the expressions on Merlin's face that even he seemed to wonder whether he had to answer this question honestly or not.

He looked at Leon for a short moment, like he needed his approve.

"You two had the same father, but..."

"But? Please continue," I said.

Merlin hesitated before he explained, "But I don't think Leon's mother knew about your existence."

Wow, good to know. Was that supposed to make me feel better? I remained silent.

"It was for your own safety, of course. Nothing personal," Merlin added, as if he claimed responsibility himself to explain the faults Lina's parents had made.

"So my father had two wives? Or could it be seen like an affair?"

I had to know everything about my real parents, the one who didn't seem to care about me, since they had left me behind all alone. It was because of them that I had been gone through so much.

My question hang in the room like an oppressive dark curtain. Did this silence mean 'yes?'

"I think it was the second, but I'm not sure," he said.

"Oh."

When I finished that sentence, a silence, even more painful than the previous one, followed. I wondered who would be the next one who would break this silence.

I didn't notice that I was sliding with my feet, until Leon said, "stop that, Lina."

I stopped reluctantly, immediately wondering why I was even listening to him.

"Oh, so now _you're _playing for daddy? Or are you just playing for the brother with a sense of responsibility? How cute. I've got some news for you, though. You're a little too late for that. I don't need a father, nor a brother, Leon. Not anymore."

"But your father-" he started

"My father? You call that monster a father? I told you before and I'll tell you once again: I don't have a father. My father, who died when I was four, turned out to be a stranger. And the guy who seems to be my real father, has no heart, nor a conscience. I mean, which father would leave his helpless baby - his own blood for crying out loud! - behind after he saved her, so that strange people will take care about her? Strange people he doesn't even know? Would you do that?"

Leon sighed.

"Shut up!" I said angrily.

"I didn't say anything!" Leon noted, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, keep it that way, please."

"Lina, calm down a bit. Mind yourself, will you? Believe it or not, but I'm as shocked as you are," he said.

"Yeah, I can see that. It's written all over your face," I said, sarcastically. "So now what?"

Merlin looked questioningly at me, not understanding what I was talking about.

"Are we supposed to hug each other, because we haven't seen each other for a long time? Am I supposed to be happy with the newsflash of the day?" I said.

"Lina, I understand that-"

"-You do? Well, I'm pretty sure you understand nothing, simply because you know nothing about me, nothing!"

Those two people in the room gave me an enormous headache. I started to lose my patience.

"But-" Merlin started.

"-And where were you all this time?" I said, as I turned to Leon, "you know, when I really needed you, my brother? You didn't even try to go look for me! What kind of a brother are you anyway?"

PANG!

The glass of water I had had in my hand, suddenly broke. It cut my skin and soon I saw I was bleeding. I took no notion of it, but Merlin looked at my hand.

"Don't blame me, that's unfair. I didn't even know you were alive a few seconds ago, so how could I search for you? Stop making a problem of everything! You're acting like a spoiled brat," Leon started, but I didn't want to listen anymore.

"So? I don't care! Don't use that as an excuse! I'm the one who's making a problem? Everyone would've known about my existence, if Merlin had told them. But he didn't. Probably because he was too heartless, or because he forgot about me. Or maybe just because he didn't care enough what would happen to me. Do you have any idea how much I've suffered my whole life? Just because Merlin's stupid mistake. Do you guys really think I've been waiting for this? I don't need a brother anymore. That goes the same for my dear father. You should've come when I needed you. You both have had your chances."

I stopped, because I had said all this without taking the time to breathe. I started to feel the cut in my hand. It hurt.

Leon used this silence in his advantage.

"Are you finished?" he asked, still as calm as ever.

He had crossed his arms. I really wondered how it was possible for him to be so calm. Didn't he care at all?

"Would you like more?"

I didn't wait for his reply and walked away, not really understanding why I was so mad. Maybe because the one I liked, turned out to be my own brother. I always wanted to have a brother, but now he had come at the wrong moment.

"Lina!" Leon called.

He quickly grasped my upper arm. I tried to free me from his grip, but was holding me too tightly.

"Let go of me!"

"We're not finished yet. Now stop making a fool out of you by walking away from this."

"Yes, we are finished and I'll do what I want, even if it's walking away. Who do you think you are to stop me? My father? Now leave me alone, both of you!" I yelled back.

I glared at Merlin after that last sentence. Somehow, I managed to free myself from Leon's grip. I ran out of Merlin's room.

In my hurry, I almost ran into Yuffie and almost knocked her down, but I didn't bother to apologise.

"Hey. Are we in a hurry today? And yes, I'm okay. Thanks for asking!" she said, rather sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. Yuffie didn't seem to notice how mad I was, though.

"So what did Merlin say?" she asked curiously.

"Why don't you go and ask Leon? He thinks he knows everything better, anyway."

At first she laughed, probably because she thought I was just joking, but as soon as she noticed my anger, she frowned.

"Ehm...have you two had a fight?"

What the hell did she care? I had never been that fed-up with people who interfered in everything. Why couldn't people just leave me alone? Why were they all still bothering me all the frickin' time?

I didn't answer this one and brushed passed her.

"Lin-"

I left her behind and went to my bedroom.

I had a balcony. From the balcony I could climb on the roof. Right now I really needed a quiet place where I could think about all this, without being disturbed all the time.

Thank heavens I was limber enough to get on the roof by myself, without breaking any bones. I loved the peaceful silence and the fresh air made me feel better.

So there I sat, all alone, on top of the roof. I had finally found a nice and quiet place for myself.

I looked at my wound. It was still bleeding. I didn't care enough to do something about it.

I had too much on my mind to notice that a cloaked figure appeared behind me and was watching me intently, while silently stepping closer and closer.

* * *

I looked at Merlin. Maybe he understood Lina, but for me, she really was a mystery.

"What was that all about? Did she mean that I'm not good enough to be her brother? Is that what it's all about?"

Merlin shrugged and looked clueless.

"I think she is too shocked to understand how great this actually is for her. She just needs a moment for herself. Don't forget that she's had a tough life. Maybe this was just too much for her right now."

I had to admit that he had a point there…

"But don't you worry. Sooner or later, she will accept her fate," Merlin tried to reassure me.

"Like she has another choice. Well, I'm glad she didn't attack me. I had never thought I would say such a thing, but I think she's even more dangerous than Yuffie, even without a sugar rush…should I go after her?"

Merlin thought about it for a short while, frowning lightly.

"No, wait at least ten more minutes. She'll send you away anyway if you go now."

I sighed, wondering why girls were so unbelievably complicated. I decided to listen to Merlin's hint and leave Lina alone for a short while. I walked out of the room.

* * *

I sighed, while I looked at the beautiful sunset. The sun was red and almost set by now. It was getting darker and colder. The first stars could be seen now. A bright star appeared at the sky. I looked at it, without really seeing it, for I was too busy with thinking about other things.

I was thinking about Leon, and about my past. Thinking about what the future would bring me. It couldn't get any worse than it was now, right?

Okay, so maybe, just maybe Leon was right after all and I was just a spoiled brat. I was making a trouble of everything.

But still...there was something about that room that made me so angry. I didn't know what it was, though. It must've been the bright color of the room itself. I preferred dark-colored rooms.

Suddenly, I felt very stupid. I was angry, because I finally had a brother. I always wanted to have a brother, so what was the problem?

I finally had something that I really wanted, something I had been waiting for for years. I should be happy for that. It did change my life dramatically, but it wasn't that bad at all. More like the opposite. Besides, deep in my heart I had actually hoped for him to be my brother, even before I fell in love with him.

I realised that there was no other option than to apologize. Just as I decided to go back inside to find Leon, I felt a cold steel object that was poking in my neck.

I caught my breath in a half-gasp, because that unidentified object was hurting me.

"What the-"

At once I wanted to scream, when a deep voice said, "And don't even think about calling for help, if you want to stay alive, dear princess."

I swallowed and quickly changed my mind. I recognized that monotonous tone that made me shiver even more. It was Saïx, number seven of the Organization.

"You!" I said, sounding hateful.

"Yes, it's me again. You don't sound that surprised."

"That's probably because I am not surprised!"

Saix just stood there, without showing any wrath or regret. Without emotion, as always.

"Well, well. What a temper. Like father, like daughter, right? It's no wonder Xemnas wants you in the Organization."

His berserk - at least now I knew what that sharp cold object was - was still stabbing in my neck.

I always wondered how it was possible that Saix was capable of wielding his sword - despite of its weight - with a single hand, even allowing him to swing it as if it was a normal sword. And who could release massive shock waves with a swing of his sword alone?

Wait, this wasn't the moment to realize that he was incredibly skilled in terms of sheer strength itself.

"Well, tell Mr. Creepy that I don't want to be a part of his stupid Organization. Why did he send you anyway? Is he too stupid to find me? What kind of a lead- Wait, do you know something about my father?"

Saix seemed to notice my sudden interest.

"Who is it? Where is he?" I asked him.

"Why, do you want to meet him?" he asked, his voice always neutral.

"Well, duh! Otherwise I wouldn't have asked you about him."

Suddenly I remembered the terrible things Saïx had done during his conflict with Sora and his team. He had appeared to Sora numerous times, taunting him and appearing only to leave Sora confused and dazed. I knew I had made a stupid move by telling him that I wanted to meet my father, but I couldn't take my words back now. Now he would use that against me all the time. I prepared for the worst.

"Are you sure you want to know the truth? Join us and maybe I'll tell you everything you want to know. Maybe there isn't that much to tell. Maybe I killed him a long time ago, when he went after me to save you..."

He was so strange. While he lacked a heart himself, he knew all too well how to injure one. I wouldn't let him get me this time.

I moved my head a little, so I could see his face, but all I saw was a cloaked figure.

"Look how brave you are. You don't even dare to show me your face. I guess you all are as dumb as your "great" leader."

"For such a helpless brat you've got a big mouth, which can bring you into big problems if you don't watch out. Right now you're not really in the position of making fun out of me. I can push you off the roof, so you'll fall and break your little neck. Or I can just kill you here, right now. That's even easier, since there are no witnesses. Nobody who will ever know what really happened and there's nobody who can save that pretty face of yours. They'll probably all think you committed suicide, wouldn't they?" he said, still keeping his composure, as though he hadn't heard my remarks at all.

I didn't respond. I started to feel sick when I thought of the idea that Leon, Yuffie, Aerith or Merlin would found my body, all covered in blood.

Unfortunately, Saïx was right. They would probably think I had put an end on my life, because of Leon, when they would finally found me. Despite the situation I tried to stay calm, but Saïx's lack of personality and emotions scared the living daylights out of me.

I shivered violently, but it had nothing to do with the sudden cold I was feeling all around me.

"I thought that you and your boss needed me? That means you can't kill me, right? It would be _so_ against your bosses' orders," I said, hopefully, while trying not to sound scared.

"Oh, but we do need you. If you don't want to cooperate with us, though, then it's much better for us to take good care of you. With other words, to kill you. So it's up to you now. Do you want to stay alive, or not?" Saix asked, smirking.

What? He wanted to kill me?

"Hmm...that really _is_ a hard one. Let me think about it one more minute," I replied, sarcastically.

That was so like me, still making a smart remark on difficult moments like this one, even if I could get killed for it. I wasn't proud of it, but hey, they say old habits die hard.

He put his enormous weapon a little bit deeper in my neck, so it finally cut my skin. I yelped. I felt how a trickle of blood dripped down on my neck. He was serious, he was going to kill me!

"Okay, okay! I-"

"Leave the girl alone!" a male voice said, interrupting me.

It sounded familiar, but...what was wrong with Leon's voice? It sounded deeper.

At once, Saïx lost the grip on his weapon. I took my chance and got up quickly. I almost lost my balance, because of what I saw. Another cloaked figure had put his sword on Saïx's neck, the same way he had been doing with me, just a few seconds ago.

* * *

**A/N: Who's Lina's father? Will she ever meet him? Will I ever shut up? Once again, probably not.**


	9. Another Mysterious Stranger

**A/N: Like I said in the first chapter, I rewrote this story, because Lina was a Mary Sue, which I'm not proud of. Plus, she didn't really have a believable personality. I mean, come on! Everyone with a little bit common sense would be smart enough not to hit Leon several times, or fling a glass of water in his face. That's also why she doesn't have a Keyblade and isn't a princess anymore. I bet that the people who hadn't read those parts now have a WTH?-look on their faces. ****I also deleted some scenes with Leon and Riku, because they were so OOC that it burned my eyes while reading my own work. Can you imagine that? Seriously, it almost looked like I was on crack, or something. Anyway, that's why this story has 10 chapters now, instead of 14. I added some things here and there, so you'll get a better picture of some side characters, like Yuffie (see chapter 6). I hope you'll like this version better. I definitely do.**

**Well, what are you waiting for? Read along! :P**

**Thanks:** **XxX-SparklingEyes-XxX, Ravenr20, Alana, Sam Leonhart, Alexandria Volturi, LoreilDarksky00, native-kitten, ChildofStorms, cutenaraku38, DarkangelGuard77, Shattered Glass Memories, xShikiMewx, dannielovessora, Enlightened Life, SexyZexy and Syrena Li**

* * *

It certainly wasn't Leon. It couldn't be Axel or someone else of the Organization, because they didn't sound like this man. It also wasn't Riku, for he had said that I couldn't count on him anymore when I needed him. When I looked better at the man, I saw that he actually had two swords. Cool swords. There were characters written on both of the swords, but I couldn't read them from this distance.

If this man wasn't Leon, then who was he?

"Well, well. Another familiar guest. How strange, I don't remember I had invited you. Why are you trying to save someone you don't even care about?"

"That's sheer nonsense!" The man said.

"You're not that good at lying."

"Shut up!" the man cried, just when a group of berserker nobodies appeared around him.

Being the leader of the berserker nobodies, Saix was more than capable of summoning them to his side. I knew these berserkers were loyal to Saix, but not actually under his total control.

That meant they fought with minds of their own rather than attacking only on his command. That was a benefit the man could use, which he did. It was almost as if he had known about that fact.

The man fought the Heartless and defeated them in no time.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked, laughing.

"Is that a challenge?"

From that moment on, everything went too fast. In a blink of an eye, Saix stood behind the man and wanted to attack him.

The man's reflexes were great, though, so he dodged him without any difficulty. I started to get jealous at him.

The moon appeared and I feared the worst, since I knew Saix was capable of drawing power from moonlight, which gave him the ability of a berserk state. In this state, Saix was granted even more immense strength and he would become considerably fiercer in battles. He also looked scarier than ever.

And of course, I was right. Saix was in this state right now. He obtained a blue, blazing aura. In addition, his body underwent numerous changes. His ears became more pointed, his eyes took the shade of gold, with black irisses, and the scar on his face enlarged.

He pushed me away with a massive shock wave, which made me almost fall off the roof. The man jumped away from him, so the shock wave didn't really help.

They continued fighting, but now even fiercer. Every time the man came near the edge of the roof, I was afraid that he would fall. It didn't happen, though. I had this strange feeling that this fight would affect my future.

I wasn't really sure why I thought that, but the mysterious man just _had_ to win this battle.

With Saïx's strikes, azure flames burst from the ground. His claymore got stuck into the ground, preparing for a powerful strike. Saïx recreated three additional claymores to his side.

I knew these claymores could be used against Saïx and they also grant a sense of 'berserk' to their wielders. Would that help the man? Maybe I should tell him.

Just when I wanted to tell him about it, he used one of the claymores.

The man was on the winning side, when Saïx decided to disappear, the pussy. He made it look more dramatic by releasing another massive shock wave. This time I did fall and I came closer and closer to the edge of the roof.

"Wow!" I cried.

The man quickly turned when he heard my voice.

"Lina!" he yelled.

He ran after me, probably with the intention of helping me. Somehow, I managed to get a hold of the drainingpipe on the edge with one hand. It was hard for me to pull myself up.

I was stunned. This man knew my name!

He wasn't with the Organization, that was quite obvious, so it was kind of strange. I remembered that the man had said that he cared about me. But why should he? I didn't even know him. Saïx had also said that he was good at lying, so maybe it wasn't true?

"How do you know my name?" I asked the man.

The man remained silent. I knew he had chosen not to answer me, but why? Was he scared? What did he hide from me? Why was I thinking all this, instead of asking him for some help, before I would fall of this roof?

"Okay, never mind then. Could you pull me up, please? This isn't such a comfortable position."

The man chuckled briefly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes. As he apologized, the pipe sagged a bit, which made me yelp. The pipe sagged even more when I yelped. Maybe it was a good idea to shut up for a short while.

"Hurry up, please! I don't think the pipe will hold me any longer."

"That's a good idea."

"No, really?" I asked sarcastically.

The man bent forward and gripped my arms. I noticed that he really was muscular.

"Lina!" someone else yelled.

This time it _was_ Leon who had said my name. The mysterious man stiffened all of a sudden. He turned and then looked back at me.

"Sir, are you going to help me now, or what?" I said.

The man looked at me. At least, that was what I thought he was doing, for I still couldn't see his face.

"I'm sorry, Lina."

"For what? Being slow?"

Honestly, what was he doing?

He let go of my arms, got up and run away. I couldn't believe this!

"Hey! Come back! Where are you going? Are you trying to kill me, after saving me?" I yelled, but it didn't help.

The pipe sagged more, but he didn't come back. Then the pipe gave up trying to hold me. I started to fall. I screamed.

Fortunately, Leon grabbed one of my arms right in time. At once, I stopped screaming.

"Why are you always so late?" I complained, too relieved to say something else.

"Hang on!" he said.

"That was a bad pun."

"And an unintended one."

He pulled me slowly toward himself. I landed half on top of him. When I looked him in the eyes, It seemed that I still hadn't lost the butterflies he gave me. How long would it take me to lose them?

I moved aside. When I felt the roof under my feet, I breathed relieved. I was saved.

"Thanks."

"Once again, don't mention it. I'm almost getting used to save your live."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that this was one of his "truth/jokes."

"Anyway, to whom were you screaming?" he asked.

"To that man."

Leon looked at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head.

"What?" I said.

"Which man? I didn't see anyone here."

I sighed frustrated. He really was slow today.

"Well duh, of course you didn't see him. He run away. He saved me from Saïx, only to let me fall off the roof. It almost looked like he was scared of you, 'cause when you screamed my name, he decided to let me "hang on" for a while," I said jokingly.

* * *

**A/N: Who do you think that man was? A review would make me very happy :) ****Psst, if you'd like to read more one-shots/stories about Leon and the gang, then you should check out my other stories about them. I've got 12 of them…and counting! :) ****Also, this is my 4th entry for Bookaholic711's Project PULL.**

**EDIT: thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites so far. I'm thinking of deleting this story, in a few days or so. Just thought I should let you know. The reason behind it: I wrote this story when I was 14. My thoughts and writing style has changed a lot compared to 3 years ago. Back then, everyone in this story was OOC and Lina was obviously a Mary Sue. Well, at that time I didn't even know what that was, but still. That isn't an excuse. In other words, the whole story sucked. I tried to rewrite it, but I still feel pretty embarrassed when I looked at what rubbish I've written. Seriously, I feel like banging my head repeatedly against a desk.**

**Now, a small note about what you can expect in the following chapters. That is, if I decide to continue it, but that is highly unlikely. Let me know what you think of all this and if you agree with me or not.**

_Merlin hadn't finished with his speech, though, so Leon and Lina go back to his room again. They will be sent on a mission to Olympous Coloseum, where they might find answers to their questions from the gods and godessess. Hades has other plans, though. He doesn't seem to want to cooperate. He is hiding something from them. Leon and Lina have to do something to prove that they're worth to be helped first: enter the competition and win. There's one problem, though: the other participants are very tough, and Sora's entering, too._

_Meanwhile, it seems that someone or something is helping them with everything. They have no idea who it is and why they do it. Organization XIII doesn't show up that much, anymore, though. Could it be that they don't care for Lina anymore?_

_As their journey continues, Lina discovers some important things about her father, called Laguna, while Leon finds out that Rinoa, his long lost love isn't dead yet!_

_What kind of surprises and mysteries will they find?_


End file.
